


Unexpected

by an0nym0us_fic_writ3r



Category: Mysticons (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Angst to Fluff, Angst with a Happy Ending, Baby, Childbirth, Discussion of Abortion, Discussion of Adoption, Dwarf/Human Relationship(s), Eventual Fluff, Eventual Happy Ending, F/F, F/M, Happy Ending, Implicit Mentions of Sex, Insecurity, Post-Canon, Pregnancy, Teen Pregnancy, Teen Romance, Teenage Drama, Teenage Parents, Underage Pregnancy, Unplanned Pregnancy, self hate, teenage relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2020-07-12 08:05:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 23,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19942888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/an0nym0us_fic_writ3r/pseuds/an0nym0us_fic_writ3r
Summary: What do you do when a mistake leads you to make one of the most life changing decisions you've ever faced? (Cross-posted from Fanfiction.Net and Tumblr)





	1. Chapter 1

Emerald, like many girls her age, dreamed about one day starting a family. She had dreams about marrying the love of her life, dreams about telling her family and friends that she was expecting her first child, dreams about watching that child grow up and leading a happy fulfilling life. That dream was distant and fuzzy, but dreams were so much more different than reality. Especially for Emerald Goldenbraid. This was no longer a sweet futuristic fantasy. This was a harsh and rather brutal reality; one that would change her life forever. This reality involved Emerald slumped against the bathroom wall, peering down at a plastic stick in her hands as tears streamed down her face.

That stupid little plus sign confirmed to her that the sudden swelling and soreness of her breasts as well as puking her guts out every morning had a purpose after all. She couldn't tell if she would rather scream or cry first. This wasn't something for Emerald to merrily inform her friends and family about. This was nothing to celebrate or be happy about. This was shameful. She should be ashamed of herself; and she is. She isn't married nor is she even at least an adult. She's just another pregnant sixteen year old girl. The kinds of girls she used to stare at when she was a pre-teen and would think _'I'll never throw away my life like that'._ The kinds of girls that were made fun of by strangers and even their own friends for being "sluts". The kinds of girls many parents would swear they'd disown. The kinds of girls that she just became.

Emerald's mind, aside from the rising anxiety buzzing around in her head like an angry beehive, could only flashback to approximately three weeks ago. She and Kasey had been sexually active together for about a few months since they started officially dating, but they'd always been very careful about using protection. However, as anyone who's ever taken health class knows that there's still always room for error, no matter how many preventive measures you take. Emerald knew that far too well now. Kasey would too in due time.

_'Oh god, Kasey…'_

Emerald buried her face in her hands. She loved Kasey, and she knew that he loved her. They had discussed once or twice about getting married one day, but babies never came up into the conversation. Why would they yet? Emerald and Kasey both turned sixteen within the past three months. What boy at that age, regardless of how much they may love their significant other, would want to spend their time caring for a screaming and crying infant? If there was such a boy, Emerald certainly wasn't aware of his existence. And she couldn't exactly blame them. Especially if they enjoy living their life with their sister as a sky pirate. Heck, she didn't exactly feel like raising a child right now either. She's a Mysticon Knight! That job practically asks you to be willing to give your life if necessary. How can she fill that role while carrying a child? It would also be incredibly difficult for Kasey to keep being a sky pirate under this condition. The most logical thing for many teenage boys who weren't ready to become fathers, Emerald realized, would be to reject her. Just like that, their relationship would be over. No more date nights, no more surprise gifts, no more anything involving Kasey. All because they couldn't keep their legs shut.

Fear and sorrow could only began to describe the emotions swimming around in her brain. She was going to lose everything.

_'No one can know. Not yet.'_

For now, she has to keep it to herself. The weight of the situation felt too great for her to open up about now. She felt suffocated as a lump formed in her throat, making it all the more difficult to breathe.

A loud knock on the door made her jump, rattling her out of her thoughts. "Emerald sweetheart," her mother's voice rang out gently, "Are you alright in there? You've been in there for quite awhile and I'm sure your friends are wondering where you are…" That was her cue to leave. She and the girls had training today.

Finally, Emerald raised herself up before responding to her mother, wiping the remaining tears that coated her cheeks, "I'm fine, mom! I was just… restocking the toilet paper!" She cringed at her own bad excuse. If she was going to keep this a secret, she'd have to start improving her lying skills. Emerald almost threw the pregnancy test into the trash can, but then thought better of it. Surely, if not her mother, her weird, nosy little brothers would find it. And that is not an option right now. Instead, she wedged the stick in her pocket before washing her hands and exiting the bathroom.

* * *

"Em! There you are!" Arkayna greeted. Her voice caught the attention of their other friends, including Kasey. He had been chatting away with Malvaron and Doug before he saw her. He flashed her his signature smile and started to make his way over, clearly happy to see his girlfriend. Seeing Kasey right now made Emerald's insides squirm. She was already feeling stressed over her little discovery and wasn't sure if she could handle being around half the reason she was in this position right now.

Arkayna kept talking, her eyes clouding over with concern. "Are you okay? It's not like you to be late. I was starting to think that something horrible had happened."

_'Well, Arkayna, you're not wrong…'_

Emerald tried imitating what was supposed to be a smile, "Yeah, sorry for being late, Arkayna. I was feeling kinda sick this morning." Arkayna knew her too well. She couldn't help but wonder if her eyes gave away her secret that a tiny human being was growing inside her at this very precise moment. After all, the eyes were the windows to the soul, and no one knew her soul quite like her best friend.

Thankfully, Arkayna didn't seem to suspect anything of that matter. She prayed the same for Kasey as he was now right there, getting ready to greet her like the good boyfriend that he was. He stepped forward, giving her a quick affectionate peck on the forehead, "Hey Em! I'm glad you're here! For awhile you had me worried!" Every word he spoke was loving and genuine. All the more to make Emerald feel guilty with. She forced another smile to her lips, "Hi, Kasey. Sorry about that. I wasn't feeling too hot earlier."

Kasey's face morphed into an expression of concern, "Really? Do you think you're sick?" He stepped forward to touch her comfortingly, but Emerald moved away. She still felt too shaken up to be touched by anyone right now. Especially Kasey. Even that kiss he gave her made her feel dizzy and unsettled. Of course, he took notice, his worried expression both deepening but also now had traces of hurt in it. It was almost enough to rip Emerald's heart in two.

_'If you think that hurts, how do you think it'll feel when he leaves you?'_

Arkayna began to feel awkward. Emerald's strange behavior made her certain that something personal must be going on. As much as she wanted to ask her, she felt it was better to let it go for the moment. It was getting later by the minute and there is a lot of new training techniques to be covered. She clapped her hands together, "So! Em, are you prepared for some training? Some of the new stuff is pretty hardcore and I think Zarya and Piper are getting a little antsy…" she gestured to their friends, who, as happy as they were to see her, were clearly getting bored with just standing around.

"Oh, yeah! Totally! I'm ready when you are!" Emerald snapped her attention back to Arkayna, ready to move on from this uncomfortable situation.

Arkayna smiled, "Great! I bet Kasey can't wait to see you kick butt…" she teased as they made their way over to the balcony. Emerald forced out an awkward giggle.

* * *

Stepping out onto the balcony, Emerald remembered she and Arkayna were partners in today's training exercises. She wasn't entirely sure how training was going to go today. If she avoided too much physical contact, then everyone would start to think something was wrong. However, if she got too physically involved, then her pregnancy would come to a… rather unfortunate end. A miscarriage, whether she wants this baby or not, is not a favorable way to deal with the issue.

As they each took their positions, Emerald could already hear Kitty cheering Zarya on. Emerald could barely even stand to look at Kitty. She only reminded her of Kasey. And being reminded of Kasey only reminded her of the current predicament she's in. _'For god's sake, is there anyway I can just focus?'_ She thought quietly, beginning to feel frustration creep in. Suddenly, she felt an intense burst queasiness overcome her. "Oh no…" she mumbled to herself, realizing that she if she doesn't get to a bathroom soon, she could, quite literally, spill her guts in front her friends this very instant.

She clutched her stomach, already feeling a small bump. By the next week, it would grow bigger. And after the following week it would grow bigger. Eventually, whether she says it or not, everyone will know. Her parents will know, her friends will know, Kasey would know. What would happen next is what scared Emerald more than anything. She just couldn't stop thinking about how she could lose Kasey…

Another fear penetrated her thoughts. Kasey may not be the only one who would reject her. What if her friends rejected her? Sure, they were kind-hearted, but even the most kind-hearted people can be disgusted by others. Piper was young and naive, but Zarya had a large impact on her. If Zarya felt strongly about something, Piper would likely feel that way too. Arkayna and Zarya were also royalty. Queen Goodfey may not be an overly conservative snob, but she still wanted positive influences for her daughters. Especially, Arkayna. That was the main reason why she even permitted them to hang out to began with. When people think of pregnant teenagers; the words "positive influence" usually don't come to mind. She could lose her best friend. She could lose all of her friends.

_'Oh my god. I really could lose everything.' ___

Emerald now felt worse. Her stomach twisted and turned and she knew immediately that losing her breakfast in front of everyone was a huge possibility if she didn't get out of there. She raised her hand and asked Arkayna to be excused.

Arkayna nodded, giving her another worried glance, "Yeah, of course! Are you alright? Should I come with you?"

Emerald gave Arkayna another fake smile, internally panicking as the bile began to slither its way up her throat. "I'm fine. My mom's cooking must not be agreeing with me today." Before the princess could get another word in, Emerald made a beeline for the restroom, mentally preparing herself for the most unpleasant.

* * *

Every morning, the first thing Emerald did was throw up. However, she didn't have the luxury of rushing to the bathroom whenever she pleased. She always had to be careful to sneak by her parents and brothers to prevent them from becoming suspicious. Sometimes, she never even made it to a bathroom. Occasionally, the poor flower pot in her room became a victim of her regurgitation as did the kitchen sink and even one of her brothers' shoe at one point! (Thankfully, her brothers dirty themselves up so much that they didn't seem to care or even notice.) Unfortunately, when it came to her friends and Kasey, sneaking off proved to be even more difficult. She would, more often than not, have to come up with some last minute lie as to where she was actually going so keep them from catching on. That isn't to say no one thought it was odd; Zarya, Arkayna and Piper in particular were starting to become more nosy, but no one's mind seemed to even consider or entertain the idea that she might be pregnant, so that itself was going as planned.

Going shopping was becoming increasingly torturous. Whenever Emerald saw a cute purse or a nice pair of shoes, she always had to tell herself that when she has this baby, there won't be money for personal treats. The baby would have to come first and boy were they expensive. She can still remember all the diapers and other supplies her parents stocked up on when her mother found out she was pregnant. Even if she gave the baby up for adoption, something told her she wouldn't be able to enjoy or even keep recent purchases once her parents find out the truth anyway.

When it came to food, however, all self control went out the window. Whenever she and the girls went out to eat, Emerald would skip right to dessert. More evidence that whatever was growing inside of her definitely is related to Kasey. He loved ridiculously sugary foods and that's all Emerald craved. Each time she was forced to pass up ice cream, or chocolate, or any other sweet sugary substances available she almost felt like crying. Especially given the foods she used to love now made her sick to her stomach whenever the smell of them would hit her nostrils.

Training or having to do any intense physical activity was hell, too. Her body felt like cement, making it nearly impossible to even run half the time. Fortunately, the girls understood that Emerald was sick to some extent. They let her take it as easy as much as she needed during training (which included many nap breaks snacks) and offered to help her in anyway they could. Emerald would always feel guilty when she would take long abrupt breaks, but it's not as if she had much of a choice. But still, she hated receiving all this special attention while she was keeping this huge mindblowing secret from them. Especially from Arkayna and Kasey. Kasey was going to be a father, and doesn't even know. Whereas Arkayna is her best friend; her number one companion in life. The person who had her back through it all.

Her guilt only deepened when her mood swings started kicking in later that week. Sometimes, Emerald would feel this intense need to cry and she'd have to hole herself up somewhere until she got ahold of herself again. At other times, she would find herself snapping at random anyone who dared speak to her. At one point, she made both Piper and Doug cry. The young elf had run crying into a confused Zarya's arms while the large cyclops distraughtly clung to a rather spooked Malvaron.

Arkayna and Kasey were both becoming increasingly worried for Emerald. Why did she never want to hug anyone like she used to? Why was she so moody? Why is she sore all the time when she barely exercised at all anymore? Why is she still tired even after resting for a whole day? Why would she seem so repulsed whenever her favorite treats were offered to her? Why was she in the bathroom all the time?

Why wouldn't she tell them anything?

Emerald was only now about five weeks pregnant and she was treating everyone like strangers.

Kasey felt lost. He wanted to help her, but he wasn't sure how. Everything he did seemed to set her off in some form or another. He was so used to her willingly letting him in on anything. He never had to try to push her buttons to try to get her to open up. And on that rare occasion he did, all it took was his signature charming smile and a gentle voice. Now, it seemed as if those two things made her push him away even further.

Arkayna, on the other hand, had enough. This was stupid. Emerald is her best friend. Nothing that happened before changed that. Why would she let anything ruin that now? Clearly, something horrible is going on and Arkayna was going to get to the bottom of it. Even if it was the last thing she ever did, she was not going to let her best friend continue to keep secrets from her. Whether she liked it or not.

* * *

One restless night, Emerald found herself lying on her back, staring at the ceiling from her soft bed. Her eyes were irritated and red from crying and she could still taste the potent tang of vomit in the back of her mouth. Oh, how she would love for all of this to finally end. Of course, she knew this would only continue to get worse. Each day was going to have a new challenge. Especially once she tells her family. Especially once she tells her friends. Especially once she tells Kasey. Especially once she gives birth. Keeping the secret to herself only made things even more exhausting. She needed to talk to someone about this, but who could she turn to?

_'If you think you're so exhausted and alone now, just wait until the baby arrives. You'll be even more worn out and lonesome than before...'_

Emerald's hand trailed down to her stomach over the small bump. There's a baby in there, she would think to herself. She rubbed her abdomen comfortingly, trying to calm herself down as much as she can. However, she was so emotionally strained to the brim at this point that she found it difficult to do so. Thoughts and feelings of fear and anxiety still penetrated her heart and hovered over her brain like a dark cloud. Tomorrow would be the beginning of the sixth week in her pregnancy. In about another seven to eight months, there would baby would be in her arms. Crying, screaming, and flailing their stocky little arms. Would she even know what to do with an infant? The thought alone terrified her.

_'You're going to be a horrible mother.'_

"I'm so sorry," she whispered to her unborn child. "You didn't deserve this… you deserve to belong to parents w-who know wh-what to do a-and pre-prepared for you and…" Emerald's voice trailed off as she starting sobbing quietly into her pillow. Just like that, another seed of guilt and shame had taken it's position into her mind. Her baby was going to have a bad life. They were going to be raised with no father and by a sixteen year old dwarf who won't even be there have the time due to her role as a mysticon, not by a loving prepared single or multiple adults who took the time to plan and prepare for one. That's what every child deserves. Yet, adoption seemed so imaginable to her. To "give up" her baby to an orphanage where there was no guarantee that her child would even find a loving long term home felt so irresponsible to her; mainly because she's half of the reason this baby is coming into existence to begin with.

Things at the moment were horrible. Emerald certainly knew that by now. Never had she felt so low in her young life. However one thing she didn't know is that this week, starting tomorrow, was going to be one of the most terrible weeks of her life.


	2. Chapter Two

_'Don't fall. Don't fall. Don't fall. For the love of all that's holy, please. Don't. Fall.'_ Emerald silently prayed to herself once Topaz had first launched herself into the sky. As a griffin wrangler, riding upon such large creatures had never once phased her, but things were different now. If she ever fell, regardless of whether or not she would be caught, her unborn child would certainly die from the amount of stress. She almost found it funny how much impending motherhood was making her reconsider so many of her daily routines. God, she hated being pregnant.

The sounds of Zarya and Piper shrieking and giggling out of sheer joy snapped her out of her thoughts. Occasionally, when feeling frisky and goofy, the two would play around and intentionally bump into each other whenever they rode their beasts. Thankfully, It never escalated to a point where one of them could get hurt or risk injuring their griffins, but it always put Emerald and Arkayna on edge nonetheless. The Mysticon Ranger was reckless and wild, while her younger sister figure was immature and hyper. When those two collided, trouble and mischief were always a possibility.

"Oh my _god_ ," Arkayna groaned, rubbing her temple in annoyance, "This isn't the time to be fooling around! Kymraw is loose and we need to find her before she puts any civilians in grave danger." she said sternly as she narrowed her eyes, mostly speaking to Zarya.

The younger twin raised her eyebrows and put her hands up in defense, "Easy, princess. Pipes and I are only having a bit of fun. Besides, we have the Pink Skulls to help us this time. _Isn't that right, babe?_ " Zarya yelled down to the ship gliding below them, grinning wildly.

She was greeted with the cool wave of a pink glove and wide smile, "That's right, Zarya! We got your back!" Kitty winked and blew a kiss. Zarya pretended that the kiss hit her cheek, dramatically placing a hand over the left side of her chest like she was having a heart attack. Despite her satirical swooning, that didn't stop the genuine deep shade of red that was beginning to creep into her cheeks.

Arkayna was the first to react, her lips pressing together and turning upwards into a smirk, "You two are so cheesy." she scoffed playfully.

"Like you and Malvaron aren't, princess?" the Mysticon Ranger shot back in an equally playful tone, left eyebrow raised. It was hard to play along with Zarya's comeback given she was still looking a little high over the kiss her pirate girlfriend blew her.

Piper giggled, snorting a little bit, "Zarya, can you even argue about that right now? You're literally still blushing! And you keep calling Arkayna _'princess'_ , but you're a princess too!"

"That still doesn't mean what I said about her and Malvaron isn't true!" she ranger huffed, feeling a little embarrassed. "Plus, she still acts like a spoiled goody-two-shoes brat," she taunted, trying to get a reaction out of her sister, only for Arkayna to roll her eyes, "Whatever. I bet Em agrees with me that you and Kitty are the bigger cornballs; right Em?" the young heir glanced back at her best friend. Emerald remained silent. She was too focused on flying as carefully as possible to contribute to the conversation at all. Hell, she didn't even hear a word that was said. Arkayna's smile faded and she exchanged a look with Piper and Zarya, who only shrugged, indicating that they were just as puzzled as she was. The mage sighed gently before turning her attention back to the sky, silence falling back over the group.

However, the silence was rather short lived as it wasn't long before the Zarya and Piper started horsing around once more. All seemed to be going well until Miss Paisley bumped just a little too hard into Archer. Archer let out a sound of irritation and discomfort as he nearly came into contact with Topaz, who let out a short distressed cry and jolted slightly upwards. Emerald gasped loudly, clutching desperately at her griffin's feathers. _'Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god!'_

Zarya quickly yanked her reigns to the left as fast as she could, leading Archer back into her original position between dwarf and the elf. She looked over at Emerald, who was frantically trying to regain her composure, "Sorry, Em!" she called out to her friend apologetically.

Emerald whirled her head around to face the Mysticon Ranger. Her face was red with both anger and distress as a few tears trailed down her face, _"What is wrong with you?! Don't you ever do that again!"_ she shrieked, making Arkayna whip her head around to see what was going on. Even Zarya recoiled with shock, letting out a quiet "whoa." She understood that Emerald would probably be freaked out, but she wasn't expecting that.

Piper's lip quivered, "Oh no… is she going to snap at me again?" she whimpered, cowering into the safety of Miss Paisley's feathers. "No Piper, I'm sure she won't do that…" Zarya said, trying to reassure the young elf. She cautiously glanced back at Emerald, who was now facing away from everyone. Arkayna studied Emerald for a few seconds, before exhaling gently and guiding Izzie to fly next to Topaz. Despite her best friend's attempts to avoid her gaze, she offered a reassuring smile, "Y'know, the girls and I should be alright up here. Why don't you ride on Kitty's ship? I'm sure Topaz wouldn't mind the break."

Awkwardness aside, Emerald forced herself to gaze at Arkayna. Her lilac eyes were soft and pure with sympathy and solicitousness. She felt yet another pang of remorse for her dishonesty. She wondered how she could even live with herself. Here she was, throwing tantrums and snapping at her teammates when they didn't deserve it. Most leaders would have immediately called her out and perhaps disciplined her by now; but no. Arkayna remained patient and was interested in her well being instead. She knew something wasn't right because she knew Emerald.

_'You don't deserve a friend like that.'_

Emerald almost protested, partially out of guilt but also because going to Kitty's ship meant having to be around Kasey. She wasn't sure if she could bare that. However, knowing Arkayna, she would only continue to insist she take a break if she dared to object. Ultimately, she decided the least she could do was go along with it. She didn't want to cause anymore problems, nor could she really afford to. After all, they had a criminal to catch and Emerald didn't want to put the mission at a higher risk because of her nervousness.

"Yeah, okay. Maybe I do need a break. Thanks, Arkayna." she dwarf obliged, giving her best friend a fake smile. The Dragon Mage smiled back warmly and nodded, before reclaiming her position in the sky ahead. Emerald then tugged on Topaz's reigns, leading her back to Kitty's ship. Kitty was more than fine with the Mysticon Knight rest. She had heard her little outburst given the ship wasn't too far off from the Mysticons, but didn't bring it up. She also hoped this would give her brother a chance to speak to his girlfriend as well. Kasey had told his older sister about Emerald's change in behavior, which worried her tremendously. Kitty had never seen her brother so wild about anyone and she saw how negatively the dwarf's change in behavior was affecting their relationship and Kasey himself.

She didn't even have to say a thing to Kasey; he already had the same idea in mind. Much to his Emerald's displeasure, he was quick and eager to greet her as soon as she and Topaz landed. She let him give her a brief kiss, one she hardly returned, before finding a place to sit down. The young sky pirate took this as an opportunity to act as if they were on a date. Occasionally he offered to fix her something to eat or tried to put his arm around her, only for his disappointment grow whenever she turned him down or shrugged him off of her. Kasey could only sigh to himself, unsure if whether or not he should keep trying to get her to talk to him. It's been three weeks now, why was she still acting so strangely? All he wanted to do is spend time with her. He understood if she needed space, but why couldn't she just communicate with him?

A horrifying idea then penetrated his thoughts; what if she found someone else? Kasey didn't want to believe that. It doesn't seem like something Emerald would do. Even if she didn't love him anymore, she isn't the kind to just straight up cheat on someone. She's far too kind and thoughtful to do something unfaithful… but it would make sense. She was tired all of the time, moody, and seemed to always be looking for an excuse to get away from him. What if she was tired and moody because she was spending nights with another person? What if she was sneaking off so much to meet up or text said person? What if-

_'No.'_ Kasey shook his head. He shouldn't let himself get paranoid. He doesn't know what exactly is going on, but that didn't give him a right to accuse her of anything; even if it did turn out to be true. However, he realized sooner or later he would have to finally just confront her. Regardless of what's happening, if Emerald was going to harbor huge secrets that she can't speak to him about then this relationship clearly isn't going to work. As much as it would break his heart, he would have to let her go. Kasey loves Emerald, but he wouldn't force her to stay with him if he made her miserable. That wouldn't be doing either of them any favors.

A large "BOOM!" jerked him out of his thoughts. He peered over the edge of the ship. Kasey saw several of the cities' buildings engulfed in a blur of orange and yellow, much to his horror. He fell backward as Kitty swerved the ship the left before steering it downwards, following the Mysticon's lead. He rolled on his side before forcing himself up. He saw his fellow sky pirates racing across the ship, grabbing weapons and other necessities as they readied themselves for battle. Emerald, however, appeared to be frozen on the spot.

Emerald hadn't prepared for a scenario like this. How could she fight? Her body felt like lead and she would feel out of breath within minutes. What if she got hit? Surely an unborn child couldn't survive a hit from Kymraw or one of her minions. She could just imagine it; 'she miraculously musters the strength to fight. She comes face to face with Kymraw. She's about to deliver a final blow. Somehow, Kymraw gets lucky shot. Emerald gets hit in the stomach. She can't get up. She feels nothing but agony, specifically in her lower abdomen. She looks between her legs. There's blood. There's so much blood. _Oh my god, there's just so much. It's warm and sticky and stings as it trails down her legs and forms a puddle underneath her. She's screaming now. She's crying. She's-'_

"...snap out of it!"

Emerald finally came back to reality, her face was pale and her body felt as if she had broken into a cold sweat. She looked like she had woken up from a nightmare. Kasey had been shaking her shoulders, trying to get her attention. "Emerald, it's me! What's wrong?" he asked. His eyelids were peeled back with concern, analyzing her face that was still contorted in fear.

Before she could answer, Kitty's ship made a loud creeking sound, indicating it had gotten as low to the ground as possible. The Pink Skulls were now leaving the ship, beginning their hot pursuit with the Mysticons after Kymraw. There was no time for this. Emerald had to be there. Pregnant or not, she was a Mysticon Knight and she had to fight. She had to help her friends. She pulled away from Kasey and climbed back on top of Topaz, making sure her sword is available and ready. Despite her boyfriend's protests, demanding to know what was wrong, she gave her griffin the command to follow everyone else; leaving Kasey alone on the ship. The teenage boy let out a growl of frustration as he reached for his weapon and followed.

* * *

Emerald didn't get very far. She tried to get as many of Kymraw's minions as she could, but she had bitten off more than she could chew this time. She gasped loudly as her back hit the pavement. Thankfully, it wasn't a far drop, but the shock of Topaz accidentally bucking her off was what knocked the wind out of her. A few of the minions made a few movements towards the small dwarf, trying to take advantage of her sudden vulnerability, but thankfully her feathery companion wasn't about to let anything of the sort happen. Topaz stood over her, using her large mass as a shield for her fallen master. She bared her teeth and narrowed her eyes in a way that would make even Necrafa cower in fear. She then let out a vicious roar that was menacing enough to send Kymraw's crew scrambling.

"Thanks, girl." The dwarf groaned thankfully, earning a pleased chirp from her griffin. Emerald slowly rose to her knees, panting. Her right hand was over her chest and slowly trailed down to her stomach. Please be okay. Please be okay. Please be okay. Please be okay. She prayed silently, fearing for the worst.

Her head snapped upwards once she heard the screech of Kymraw's motorcycle as she and her group were beginning their retreat. Arkayna hollered something she couldn't quite make out, but given the context of the situation, it was clear her leader wanted everyone to pursue Kymraw. She had to be caught. Who knows what would happen if she escaped. Emerald stood up, or at least tried to. However, she only fell back on her knees. Her stomach ached and her body suddenly felt heavier than it's ever been. She groaned and tried again, only to get the same result. Her legs burned and ached more than they ever have before. Her stomach cramped violently, making it nearly impossible to move. Emerald could only hunch over, feeling the need to take deep breaths. Topaz yelped in alarm and begin sniffing her master frantically.

"Emerald!" Kasey cried out, racing over to his girlfriend as fast as he could. Before she knew it, he was crouching down beside her, quickly examining her over with gaping silver eyes. Everything about his face expression screamed shock and terror. He was scared for her. He'd never seen his girlfriend in so much pain before. He had to get her out of here.

"Oh god, let me help you." Kasey said as he put his left hand on Emerald's back and his right on her side, trying to lift her up. Suddenly, he heard her gasp and she whipped around to face him. Her face was contorted with fright before it morphed into something similar to rage. She couldn't handle it. She couldn't handle him placing his hands on her. She felt so overwhelmed that she could swear all of her senses could explode. She closed her eyes, raising up her arms immediately to defend herself.

_"Get away from me!"_

She felt her arms jerk forward and she opened her eyes. Emerald let out another gasp as she realized what she had done. Kasey was now on his back, staring up at her absolutely mortified. She had pushed him. Emerald Goldenbraid, the dwarf who had never hurt a fly, had pushed her own boyfriend onto the ground. And all he did was try to help her.

She put a hand over her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes as realization and guilt began to settle in, "Kasey, I am so sorry! I- I didn't mean to!" she stammered helplessly, hoping he'd understand.

"Stop, Emerald! Just. Stop." Kasey snapped, picking himself up. He glared at her as he stood up again, his bright eyes burning into her's. This time, she had gone too far. He was fed up. He had enough. It was undeniably crystal clear now that she wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. This time, Emerald found herself being the one to move towards him, trying to touch him and make it all better. However, much like she had been doing to him for weeks, he turned away from her and took a step back. This time, he was the one that didn't want to be touched.

They stared at each other for what felt like hours, studying each other. Emerald hadn't noticed how drained Kasey looked before. There were dark circles under his eyes and his faced looked slightly more pale. He appeared less angry now, a look of sadness and disappointment was masked over his face. After a few more seconds he let out a deep exasperated sigh before turning his back to her and walking away.

"Kasey, wait! Please!" Emerald cried out, trying to fight back tears. Here she was, finally losing him and he didn't even know she was pregnant yet. No matter what she said and no matter how many times she called for him, he wouldn't turn around. Tears were now flowing freely from her eyes, soaking her face as a hard lump formed in her throat. Eventually, he was out of sight. There was nothing more she could do at that point. She felt sick and her breathing became erratic and shallow. She had to get out of here. She turned to Topaz who blinked at her in confusion.

"C'mon, girl. Let's go." Topaz lowered her body as much as she could so Emerald could easily climb on. The griffin let out a small squawk before taking off. For the first time since she found out she was pregnant, Emerald had never been more relieved to be up in the air. The tiny dwarf then buried her face into her feathery companion's neck, her body wracking violently with deep and powerful sobs. She could only now think of how she ruined everything.

The cheers of both the Mysticons and the Pink Skulls from their victory against Kymraw could be heard from a distance.


	3. Chapter Three

Emerald couldn't stop crying.

She messed up. She knew that by now. Her relationship was over. Kasey was done. She pushed him too far, and too hard. She couldn't face her friends right now. By now, Kasey would've said something to Kitty, Kitty would've told Zarya, and Zarya would've told everyone else. She didn't know what else to do. All she knew is that she just wanted to go home. She couldn't deal with anything else right now.

She slowly led Topaz back to her stall, her body racking with sobs from the days events. The griffin picked up on her master's negativity and gently rested her chin on Emerald's shoulder as they walked. Topaz purred into her master's ear, hoping that might ease the dwarf's mind. It didn't, but Emerald knew enough about griffins to realize what Topaz was trying to do and she appreciated it. _'At least that's one friend who would never hate me.'_

Emerald opened the stall as quietly as she could. She didn't want any of Arkayna's family to know she was there yet. She knew she had to see the Queen about "taking a break" from her role as a griffin wrangler. Queen Goodfey was technically her employer and it wouldn't set well if she left without any warning. But first she needed to try to calm herself down since it was still obvious she had been crying. Her eyes were misty and red while her face was covered in a disgusting mess of tears and snot. The last thing she needed was someone questioning why she was so upset or why she returned without the others. Chances are she'd only feel more upset and humiliated. "Crying sure isn't as graceful in real life as it is in the movies…" the Knight mumbled to herself bitterly.

As she started to disassemble Topaz, she couldn't help but wonder if this would be one of the last times she'd ever see Topaz. The thought was almost like taking an hammer to the heart. She's practically raised the griffin since she started working here; Topaz was her baby. She couldn't imagine never seeing her again. _'I guess that's someone else I'll have to get used to losing.'_

After hanging up all of her equipment, she gazed back at Topaz for what might be the final time. Topaz stared back with big, innocent eyes; no clue about what was to happen next. Emerald moved towards her feathery companion, gently placing a hand on each side of the her face. The beast churred in curiosity, but didn't question it or move away. The dwarf's smile wavered as she leaned in to gently touch foreheads with her friend. "I'm going to miss you… so much." she said, her voice faltering with sadness. Topaz made a worried sound at that, nuzzling her master as an attempt to reassure her. Emerald planted a kiss on her forehead before pulling away. Her companion only watched, her gaze a little less innocent and more concerned. The Knight forced herself to smile once more before she left, "I love you." she whispered before closing the stall door behind her, locking it shut.

* * *

Emerald sniffled as she made her way through the palace, heading for Queen Goodfey's office. She still looked upset, but not as much as when she first arrived. Her face was dried out from the tears, but she had cleaned herself up a bit so she looked presentable. She hoped that she wouldn't break down in front of the Queen. She wanted to leave as discreetly as possible. Her stomach did a somersault when she reached Queen Goodfey's office door. Despite feeling her hand shake like mad, that didn't stop her from giving the door a solid knock.

"Come in!" Goodfey's voice rang from behind the door.

_'Here goes nothing.'_

Emerald wrapped her hand around the cold door knob, twisting it cautiously as she made her way into the room. For it being the Queen's study, the room was smaller and messier than one would expect, but in a weird way it felt homey. The different shades of gold and dark green furniture in the room made the atmosphere unexpectedly relaxing and somewhat warm. Though still high-strung, Emerald felt a bit more at ease. At least until she saw the Queen, her stomach than began to shift itself into knots.

Queen Goodfey took a few more seconds to look through her paperwork before turning her attention to Emerald, "Hello, Emerald…" the warm smile she normally had reserved for the dwarf turned into a worrisome frown once she saw the young girl's expression, "Whatever is the matter, dear?"

Emerald sucked in a breath, "I… I need to take some time off." she swallowed nervously. It was taking every fiber of her being not to break down right then and there in the Queen's office. The older woman leaned forward in her chair, her left brow furrowing while her right curved upwards, "Oh? Is everything alright?" she asked, her voice indicating her concern for her daughters' friend.

The Knight shifted uncomfortably under the question. She didn't want to lie to her best friend's mother, but she also couldn't tell her about her pregnancy, "I've been feeling very ill the past few weeks, and I think I need to… take some time off to get everything checked out." She felt her cheeks flush as the Queen's eyes widened, "Is it serious?"

Emerald didn't know what else to do but nod, "Y-yeah… it kind of is." The older woman's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of her skull as she opened her mouth to speak, but Emerald didn't give her the chance, "I'm not going to die! It's nothing terminal, I'm pretty sure! I just need to get help." she specified, wincing at herself for making it sound worse that it actually was.

The Queen relaxed a little at that, but her blue eyes were still fixated on the young girl. She set her elbows on her desk, folding her hands and resting her head on them. She analyzed the dwarf up and down, curious to see if she could detect what was amiss on her own. Emerald resisted every urge to squirm like crazy under the Queen's probing eye. Suddenly, something in the older woman's eyes flashed, making Emerald nearly jump out of her own skin. Did… she figure it out? _'N-no, that's not possible. Stop being so paranoid, dammit!'_

"Alright… you can take some time off." the Queen replied, finally. "How much time do you figure you'll need?"

"Um," Emerald thought about that for a minute. She hadn't been prepared for that question, "I'm not entirely sure yet… maybe at least two weeks for now?" She knew it would probably be around seven and a half months in actuality, but if she said that there's no way the Queen would agree to that without a specific reason.

Queen Goodfey nodded. She seemed to understand from what Emerald could tell– but she wasn't ready to go without asking one more question; "Do the girls know?"

The question almost made Emerald jump, "Y-you mean do they know I'm taking a break?" The Queen nodded again, her brows furrowing. Emerald's gaze shifted towards the ground, "N-not exactly… they know I haven't been feeling my best, but not that I was planning on taking a break." she explained, still not looking up at the older woman. She paused before speaking again, "If it's alright, can you please not tell them?" the dwarf asked shyly, cringing slightly at her own question. "I want to find out exactly what's wrong first before I tell them. I-I don't want to scare anyone."

Queen Goodfey just simply looked at the younger girl. As much as she wanted to question the griffin wrangler's motives, she decided not to force it, seeing as she was not entitled to her privacy. However, she couldn't help but worry. Emerald's been Arkayna's best friend since they were five and six; she watched her grow up. Just like any other mother would worry for her child's friends, she couldn't help but feel protective over the dwarf. What she was hearing now concerned her deeply. She sighed, "I won't tell them, but don't think they won't find out. Those three, especially my daughters, are the most stubborn and caring people ever born. You won't be able to hide whatever this is for long." she warned.

Emerald nodded, starting to feel ashamed of burdening her best friend's mother in such a way, "I know, ma'am." She finally found the courage to look back up at the Queen, expecting her to look angry or disappointed. She was surprised to see that the Queen seemed neither of those things. Instead, she offered her a small, reassuring smile. "Y'know, dear, you can always talk to me if you need to."

The young Knight felt her gut twist with guilt. A part of her wanted to tell the Queen everything, but then she remembered why she actually couldn't. She forced herself to smile back, "I appreciate it, ma'am, but no thank you."

Queen Goodfey looked a little disappointed, but understanding. "Alright, but if you change your mind, don't be a stranger. Feel better soon."

Emerald gave the Queen a sad smile before leaving, "Thank you for understanding, ma'am."

* * *

Emerald was starting to wonder if going home was such a good idea after all. When she arrived, she expected to be greeted by her brothers, mother, and possibly her father and Eartha if they were home from work. Instead, she was greeted by a dark, empty house. A note she found in the kitchen explained that her family had gone to run some errands. At first, the dwarf was relieved that her family wasn't around. Her family was loud and rather obnoxious, and she felt she needed some quiet time alone to recover. For awhile it seemed to be working, but the silence gave her just a little too much time to think; specifically about her current problem.

She tried distracting herself, but nothing seemed to work. Reading would have her full attention for about five minutes, only for a single word to trigger her memory of today's events. Watching T.V. didn't do much good either. The dwarf would find herself engrossed in a movie or soap opera, up until some affectionate couple appeared which led her thoughts towards Kasey. She didn't even bother turning to her phone for comfort. She turned off her notifications so she wouldn't see if anyone had tried to reach her since the incident. The moment she opened her phone, there would be a risk she'd see some message demanding to know what happened, and that was something she knows she can't handle right now. 

_'You wouldn't be going through this right now if you hadn't screwed it all up. God, are you going to keep making these mistakes as a mother, too?'_

A part of Emerald wanted to cry again, but it felt as if her tears were stuck. She had to admit, she was thankful for that. She hated the dark cloud that had been following her for the past three weeks. She hated being sad all the time. She hated being alone. She just wanted to feel good. She wanted to be with her friends, as much as she knew that wasn't much of an option right now. A loud gurgling sound snapped her out of her thoughts. It took her a moment to realize it was her own stomach. She hadn't eaten since breakfast, and now it was almost dinnertime. She ran a hand over her lower abdomen apologetically, "I'm sorry, I lost track of time. I bet you're hungry." she whispered, a small smile forming on her lips.

She thought about what she might have in her house. Emerald considered leftovers from the other night, but then remembered most of what her mother made now made her sick to her stomach. She sighed in irritation; she couldn't skip eating– that would be unhealthy for both her and her baby. However, if she tried eating her mother's leftovers, she'd surely throw up as she was very sensitive to certain smells at the moment.

It occurred to her that her only solution seemed to be going out to eat. She didn't have a ton of money, nor did she want to possibly run into someone she knew. She could order to go, but sometimes that was more expensive, and she really did not want to be alone in her house right now. Even if they weren't her friends, being in a setting where there were other people that she didn't feel the same pressure to hide from was somewhat comforting.

_'But what if I run into the girls? Or Kasey?'_

That was always a possibility. Although, with Arkayna and Zarya being a bit older now, they had more responsibilities then they did two years ago. Especially Arkayna, as she's a little under a year away from turning eighteen and is the one to inherit the throne one day. Their mother's teachings in all matters related to royalty and politics have become more intensive. Even Piper has been involved ever since she's been living with the Zarya and Arkayna, despite not have been adopted by the twins' mother and step-father. Emerald supposed it was safe to include that she wouldn't see any of her best friends during her outing.

 _'That's a problem for a later time!'_ Her stomach seemed to suddenly growl at her. Emerald couldn't help but chuckle slightly as she ran a hand over her stomach lovingly. She smiled as she couldn't help but feel a small wave of affection wash over her. She had been aware of her pregnancy for three weeks now, but for the first time, she began to feel genuine love for the life that was growing inside of her rather than fear and remorse. "Let's go get us something to eat! That sounds good, yeah?" she cooed.

Her stomach growled again in response, earning another chuckle from Emerald. "I'll take that as a yes, then."

* * *

Emerald made her way through the crowds in the city. Bumping into the people typically wasn't something she thought twice about since it was near impossible not to too given how busy the streets were at night. Of course, she wasn't pregnant before. While she didn't think she would just spontaneously miscarry if she bumped into someone, she still didn't want to risk any kind of accident or injury, just in case. She still hadn't completely shaken off the close calls she experienced early this morning.

While walking, she browsed through the different restaurants. The city is fairly large, so while she wouldn't be able to see all of her options, she tried to find one she hadn't gone to with her friends or Kasey recently. She didn't want to go to a restaurant she had never been in either, though. This was mainly because she wanted to ensure she liked the food at wherever she ate. She, as well as a certain someone, were hungry enough as it is.

Eventually she came to halt as she passed a pizzeria called _Ricci's_. She wondered why that name sounded so familiar. She then remembered that she and Arkayna used to eat there when they were pre-teens. For awhile, it was their favorite place to eat before they started hanging out at the mall. She remembered how good their pizza tasted. Could she even _have_ pizza? Suddenly, as if on cue, the smell of the tomato sauce and cheese hit her nose, and she didn't feel sick. Her stomach growled, and before she knew it, she was pushing the door open and entered the restaurant.

Just as the door behind her shut, she was hit with a wave of nostalgia. The place wasn't packed. There were only two kids that sat at the one of the smaller tables with their mothers. Just as Emerald remembered, _Ricci's_ was rarely ever full. It was always pretty quiet, despite the occasional sound of someone's laughter while the Jukebox softly played in the background. Emerald had to refrain from laughing as she remembered the time she and Arkayna played _What's New, Pussycat?_ eight times in a row, clearly irritating the other customers in there.

Emerald went to go take a seat in the back corners while looking around. The place hadn't changed at all. She couldn't help but smile as she looked at the floor tiles. The tiles had the exact same diagonal red and white pattern. It reminded her of one time when Arkayna and Emerald dared each other to walk on only the red tiles. The weird looks they got from strangers made them giggle while Emerald's mother could only watch with embarrassment.

Emerald made sure to sit in the same chair she sat in the last time she went here. She wondered if anyone would remember her. Eventually a waiter made his way over and she couldn't help but grin when she recognized him, "Hey Alberto!"

The middle-aged man's head shot up when she said his name. He stared at her for a few seconds before he broke out into a grin, "Emerald Goldenbraid! My goodness, how long has it been? Five years?" he asked, giving her a quick embrace before pulling away to examine her.

Emerald nodded, "I think so! How've you been? I remember last time I was here you and your wife were expecting a baby!"

"Aaliyah and I are doing very well, thank you! We have a little boy now. He's four and a half. Very mischievous, just like his mother." He shook his head, chuckling, "Parenthood has not been easy."

"Oh? How so?" Emerald asked curiously.

"Well, little Antonio Jr. has been enrolled in a nice pre-school, yeah? Really nice kids, really nice teachers, blah blah blah. The parents are all good people too. However, Aaliyah's been feeling a little self-conscious around them." Antonio said, sighing a bit.

That took Emerald by surprise. Aaliyah wasn't the type to get self-conscious. She was always very proud of who she was and would gladly kick anyone's ass if they gave her trouble. It was hard to imagine Aaliyah feeling embarrassed over anything. "What? How come? I bet she's the coolest mother there!"

Antonio was quick to grin at that, "Oh she is. There's no question there. But it's for mainly two reasons. For one, we're the only couple there that didn't come from your world, y'know? Our families were brought here. It's not obvious just by looking at us, but when they say our names people realize it. Aaliyah, and even myself, have been worried he might get bullied for it. Both of us have experienced a lot of xenophobia when we came here at first. Things have changed a lot since then, but still."

Emerald nodded understandingly. When she was a kid, she was sometimes bullied for being a dwarf. She remembered that both her parents experienced that too when they were growing up. It was different from xenophobia, but she still understood what it was like for someone to prejudiced against her. "Ah, I see. What's the other reason, if it's okay to ask?"

"Well, we're also some of the oldest parents there. I was thirty-nine when our son was born. Aaliyah was forty-nine, and she's definitely the oldest there. One of Antonio Jr.'s classmates even asked her if she was his grandma. The kid didn't mean it like that, but Aaliyah took that pretty hard."

Emerald nodded again. She always knew Aaliyah had a younger soul and liked to present as such. She wasn't immature by any means, but she definitely liked being seen as youthful. For her to only be fifty-three and asked such a question by a child, the most blunt kind of people in the world, would definitely take a blow to her pride. "Aw, poor Aaliyah. Well, tell her that I think she's still hip!"

Antonio chuckled, "I'll be sure to do that. But enough about me; how are you? How's your family?"

"They're good! My parents are hard at work as usual, and my brothers are super annoying as usual." She muttered the last sentence, rolling her eyes a little.

Antonio laughed out loud at that. "Some things never change. Unlike you. I remember when you were about ten or eleven. Now look at you. You're still a child, but almost a grown woman. You're what? Sixteen?"

Emerald smiled and nodded, "That's right! I turned sixteen about two months ago."

"I still can't believe this little girl turned into a teenager," he said in amazement. "So, like many pretty girls your age, do you have a special someone in your life?" Antonio asked, his eyes glimmering with mischief.

Emerald's heart clenched at that. She didn't even know how to answer. Was Kasey still her boyfriend? Probably not, but it's not like they've officially broken up either. "Uh… something like that, yeah."

"Oh, is it that pretty princess you used to come in here with? My wife and I always predicted you two might become an item when you're older." Antonio asked, half teasingly and half seriously.

Emerald's face turned bright red. She surely wasn't expecting that. "O-oh, n-no actually. I've been seeing a guy. So is Arkayna."

Antonio genuinely looked surprised, "Oh! Well, I apologize for assuming! I would leave to meet your boyfriend though! He must be a lucky young man, I'm sure." Antonio winked, "Bring him around here sometime."

"I will." Emerald doubted she would be able to keep her promise.

The older man quickly glanced at the clock before turning back to Emerald, "Oops! I just spent ten minutes talking to you! I should probably take your order before my papa yells at me. What would you like, dear?"

"A slice of pineapple pizza, please!" Emerald said quickly, she could almost feel herself salivating.

"One slice of pineapple pizza coming up, then!" He said before winking again and adding, "On me."

"You don't have to do that!" Emerald protested. She didn't want Antonio to feel like he had to pay for her just because they were old friends.

"Please, I insist."

Before Emerald could say anything else, the forty-three year old disappeared into the kitchen. While she waited, she thought about what they had talked about. Would her child be made fun of for being half-dwarf and half-human? Would other parents judge her being so young? Would her child's classmates confuse her for their sister? Would her child be bullied for not having a father?

Emerald could feel her head swimming again. She hoped leaving the house would make her feel better, but instead, she gained new reasons to fear becoming a mother. _'Should I… give up my child after all?'_ She thought silently to herself. This wouldn't eliminate all of her problems, but perhaps her baby wouldn't be as bullied if they were raised by someone more prepared and older.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a paper plate hitting the table. In front of her was a fresh slice of pineapple pizza that was practically oozing with marinara sauce. She looked up at Antonio who just smiled warmly at her, "Enjoy, Em!"

After she thanked him, she didn't hesitate to get started. Each bite filled up her taste buds with the sweet-savory flavor of the sauce, cheese, and pineapples. After she finished, she felt her head clear. She forgot how much hunger could cloud her judgement. Especially since she's been pregnant. She leaned back in her seat, feeling happier and satisfied. When she was sure no one would be looking at her, she gently rubbed her stomach, "I hope you feel better now, too. Maybe when you're born, we'll go here every now and then." she whispered softly, a smile on her face. _'Or if you get adopted, I hope your parents will take you here.'_

Emerald's brief moment of satisfaction and peace didn't last long.

There was a small tapping sound coming from behind her, causing her to turn around. The sight made every bit of color drain from her face. Through the glass, Emerald could see a furious-looking Arkayna staring right at her. The seventeen year old had both of her hands on her hips, while a tight scowl rested on her face. Before the dwarf could further react, she could see the older teen storm over the entrance where she heard the door open swiftly and slam shut in a matter of seconds.

_'Uh oh.'_

A few customers noticed the princess and started whispering excitedly amongst themselves. Normally, if noticed out in public, Arkayna would graciously greet anyone who wished to speak with her. However, the anger-driven determination in her eyes concluded that today, she couldn't care less about them. Before Emerald knew it, Arkanya had taken a seat across from her. She had her arms crossed as she sat straight in her chair, a scowl still remaining on her face.

"You have a lot of explaining to do." The princess spat, her eyes narrowing.

"Arkayna," Emerald whimpered quietly, "please, not here."

Arkayna let out a sharp 'huff', "Oh, believe me, I'd rather be anywhere than here to talk about what you've just done. But how can I trust you won't run away or lie to me again? Do you think I'm freaking stupid?"

Emerald flinched at her words. She couldn't blame the princess's frustration. Arkayna was her best friend and all she had done was lie to her for several weeks, as well as everyone else. Unsure how to answer, she looked around helplessly at the few customers who were now staring at them. Arkayna then looked around too before turning back to Emerald. After a few moments, she let out a heavy sigh and rubbed her temples. Surely she was aware that yelling at her best friend in a public restaurant would do poorly for her reputation as a future queen and a Mysticon. She also wasn't here to humiliate Emerald, she just wanted to get to the bottom of this. The brunette closed her eyes, deep in thought.

Without looking back up she mumbled, "In case something like this would happen... have a limo waiting outside around the corner. As long as you promise to stop lying to me, we can talk somewhere more private."

Emerald opened her mouth to speak, "Oka–"

"Promise me," Arkayna hissed, her voice quivering slightly with intensity, "I want to hear you promise me." She didn't take an eye off of the blonde.

The dwarf swallowed uneasily, "I promise. I promise I-I'll stop lying to you and tell you everything." she said, her words tumbling off her lips clumsily.

Without another word spoken, Arkayna swiftly grabbed Emerald by the arm and lead her out the front door, but not before giving the customers a phony smile and a tiny wave.

* * *

It didn't quite register for Emerald what was about to happen until she heard the limo door gently click shut. With the black seats and the dark tinted windows, she couldn't help but feel like she was some kind of trapped animal.

"Take us home, please." Arkayna commanded to the driver, her voice cold and indifferent, which was entirely different to how she spoke to anyone who served her. The driver shifted nervously in his seat before nodding and starting the automobile. Before Emerald knew it, they were on their way back to the palace. For awhile, they sat in uncomfortable silence. Arkayna had her arms crossed once more, a clear indication that she wasn't any less ticked than she was when she found Emerald.

"Zarya, Piper, Malvaron and Doug are all still looking for you. I figured that if I was the first to find you, it'd be easier to tell me what's going on if it was just the two of us rather than telling everyone at once." Arkayna spoke suddenly, causing the Mysticon Knight to jolt slightly. While Arkayna could sometimes be your stereotypical selfish princess, she could also be very thoughtful, no matter how dire a situation was. Especially when it came to her friends' feelings, Emerald's in particular.

"Oh, um, thanks." Emerald said weakly, offering her a small smile. Arkayna ignored her, instead keeping her eyes glued forward. The younger teen scratched at her arm awkwardly, unsure of what to say or ask next. Were Kasey and Kitty looking for her as well? She didn't really think so, but then again, she didn't think the girls would really go out to look for her either. "What about Kasey and Kitty?"

The princess shrugged, still not looking at her best friend, "Kasey's upset and Kitty's pissed, as you can imagine. Kitty's trying to comfort him right now. If no one had found you, I'm sure she would've. I'd be very thankful I got to you first. Who knows what she would do to the girl that broke her little brother's heart." Emerald flinched at Arkayna's words. She couldn't deny the truth behind them. This was just another reminder of how horribly she's been treating Kasey. She wouldn't blame Kitty if she wanted to kill her, in all honesty. If someone hurt her little brothers, or Eartha, whom she saw as a sister, she'd be out to spill blood too. That being said, she considered herself very lucky Arkayna was the one to find her.

"Thanks... again. And hey, um, how did you find me?" The blonde asked, raising an eyebrow. They hadn't been to _Ricci's_ in such a long time and it's not like Arkayna could read her mind. Either Arkayna must've had to have been tearing Drake City apart just to find her or she got lucky. Or both.

"Well, for starters, the girls and I tried to get in touch with you. So did Malvaron and Doug. We initially thought if we could get you to meet us somewhere to talk, there'd be a chance we could resolve things a lot more smoothly." Arkayna started, glaring daggers at Emerald, which made her shrink a little in her seat. "But, when you wouldn't pick up, we got more worried. We actually thought maybe something terrible happened to you." the princess continued, her voice wavering slightly. Emerald felt a pang of guilt drop in her stomach. She should have considered that not responding to her friends might give off the impression that something horrible could've happened. Given their roles as Mysticons, it wasn't a far stretch. Just because Necrafa was gone doesn't mean there aren't people that would want to cause harm or even kill them.

Arkayna inhaled sharply before continuing, "That's when we started looking for you. Zarya and Piper paired up to look around the Undercity, while Doug and Malvaron decided to go see if they could find any trace of you outside of it. I went alone to see if you were at any of our usual hang outs. I really started to freak when I went back to your house and saw that no one was there." The brunette had turned away again. For a split second, it looked like she wiped something off of her face. Was she crying? Had Emerald really worried everyone that badly?

"Arkayna," Emerald started, her heart learching, "I–"

"You just– you really had everyone worried! You had _me_ worried!" Arkayna snapped suddenly, turning to face Emerald once more. Her eyes were now reddened and there were a few tears running down her face. "The last three weeks you've been acting so secretive. I've tried to be patient, but you wouldn't open up. You've been so moody, and sometimes it was just… it was kind of scary." Arkayna sighed as she wiped her face again. Emerald had to refrain herself from holding her, taking her in her arms and apologizing rapidly. She mentally beat herself for not considering how much this would hurt other people. She wished she could take back the three weeks of secrecy and dishonesty. Even if it meant more pain for her, she wished she'd just told everyone the truth. Their pain wasn't necessary. She never wanted this. But it was too late for that now. The damage had already been done.

All she could try now was to ease some of it, and to do exactly what she promised; to never lie to her best friend ever again. Emerald reached over and gently placed a hand on Arkayna's knee. The mage slowly looked over at her. The dwarf couldn't quite make out her expression, but she could probably guess. "I'm sorry…" she let out hoarsely. It wasn't much, but at least it was a start.

Arkayna just gazed sadly at her before barely whispering, "I know."

They remained like that for what felt like minutes before the limo came to a slow and steady hault. Only moments later, the limo driver spoke. "Princess Arkayna, we've arrived."

* * *

Emerald fell back against Arkayna's bed while the latter went to shut and lock the door. She let out a sigh as she felt her best friend's weight sink in right next to her. There was still a wave of anxiety in the air. She still had yet to tell Arkayna her little secret and as much as she was dreading it, the suspense was practically killing her. She could tell Arkayna felt the same. She swore she could feel the anticipation coming off of the princess in huge waves. Still, they let themselves have a moment of peace with each other. For two friends that have been hanging out everyday since they were kids, three weeks of without each other felt like an eternity.

"So," Arkayna started, clearing her throat, "are you finally going to tell me what's going on?" she asked quietly. Emerald let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. She could feel her head start to spin with fear and anxiety. This was it.

"You're… you're going to judge me." The dwarf breathed out as she sat up slowly, hands gripping the sheets in her hands like she was on a rollercoaster and the blanket was the bar she sat behind. She didn't have to even look at Arkayna to know that she was still watching her carefully. She expected to hear a snappy retort or for her best friend to demand and force it out of her. Instead, the princess put a hand on top of her's. Something about that made Emerald's insides squirm in a way that was foreign and indescribable.

She turned to look at the princess only to see her eyes filled with solace and determination, "Em, whatever has happened, I'm here to support you." With that, Emerald realized she couldn't run anymore, and she didn't want to. Arkayna was her princess and she was her knight. If she ever hurt the girl she swore she'd protect ever again, she'd never forgive herself. Not for a moment did she take her eyes off of Arkayna.

"I'm… I'm pregnant."

And just like that, all the spinning in Emerald's head finally came to a stop. It was almost as if everything around the two girls disappeared and they were the only remaining things left on earth. Emerald couldn't hardly stand to look at her best friend, but yet she was all she could focus on. Just Arkayna and those wide lavender eyes full of shock, concern, and…. something else the younger could not seem to read.

There was a period of complete silence between them that was so unlike the moment of peace they allowed themselves to share before. It was uncomfortable and scary. Emerald could already feel her heart racing and her head start to spin again. Arkayna still hadn't moved her hand off of her own.

The heir finally broke the spell between them, casting a brief gaze down at the dwarf's stomach before meeting her gaze once more. "P-pregnant? You're pregnant?" Emerald searched for a voice within herself so she could answer Arkayna, but nothing came out. She just swallowed, holding the other's gaze stiffly. The dwarf just internally focused on bracing herself, withdrawing her hand. It wouldn't be long before the teenaged princess would subject her to her scorn and disgust.

_'Slut. Whore. Deadbeat. Waste of space.'_

She could already hear the insults echoing through her head. She wondered what the princess's choice of words would be.

But to the Knight's surprise, her liege did none of those things. Instead, Arkayna moved closer to her. They couldn't have been more than an inch apart now. Emerald could feel her own breathing harden in fear from the uncertainty of what could come out of this situation. To the dwarf's relief and confusion, she didn't look angry or disgusted. Arkayna's shocked expression had dulled a bit, but her features were morphed into an expression laced with concern and sympathy. It was almost as if the princess now understood and pieced together everything that had been going on the past few weeks. She hung her head to the side slightly, "Oh, Em…"

The sensation Emerald was feeling from this was bizarre; getting yelled at and shunned by Arkayna was one of the things she feared most. She was used to having her best friend see some of the most vulnerable sides to her and vice versa, but something in her churned at the thought of anyone seeing her utterly helpless like this. She was a knight, after all. It's her job to protect and save everyone else when they're helpless and in a situation they can't crawl out of. It was never supposed to be the other way around. It felt wrong, when it wouldn't have for a more "normal" pair of friends, and that alone made her almost wish she was being berated by the older teen.

Emerald wanted to turn away, but her body was too stubborn. Her instincts were all over the place. One side of her told her to get away from the situation, and maybe if it were anyone else she would have; like she had been doing for the past few weeks. But she knew Arkayna as a source of comfort, safety and someone to stay beside during hard times. There was also that primal part of her conditioning as a Mysticon Knight that prevented her from running away from the princess. Her best friend opened her mouth to speak, but Emerald couldn't hold out. "I'm sorry, Arkayna!" she blurted out louder than she had wanted, "I- I messed up! I know I did! I didn't mean for this to happen. I- I didn't plan on getting pregnant! I didn't mean to push everyone away! I didn't mean to hurt you! Or Zarya! Or Piper! Or Kasey! And… and…!"

It was only then when her vision suddenly blurred that she realized she had been crying. She awkwardly wiped her face, her cheeks heating up with embarrassment. "And… I didn't mean to leave my child fatherless…" she choked out miserably. "I didn't mean to let you down. I… I wanted to keep being a Mysticon and a griffin wrangler. I wanted to always have you in my life. I wanted to have Kasey in my future. But I messed up, and now I can't have any of that. I- I ruined my life." The young teen buried her face in her hands, now sobbing.

Emerald felt a warm hand place itself on her shoulder. She refused to look up, but she wanted so badly to just melt into Arkayna's touch. To just forget about everything and let her best friend comfort her, but she knew it was too late for that. Or at least she thought. She felt the hand on her shoulder grip her tighter and pull her forward as another arm wrapped itself around her. It took her a moment to realize that Arkayna was actually hugging her. "Why are you–"

"You didn't ruin your life, Em." the older stated firmly, much to the dwarf's surprise. Arkayna wasn't going to give her best friend the chance to speak, "You just made a mistake… and you can fix this. I would never, ever leave you."

The dwarf awkwardly leaned forward to hold on to Arkayna. She had forgotten how nice it felt to be held and touched by someone she cared about so deeply. "P-promise?"

"I promise. I promise I'll never leave you." The older teen affirmed without a moment's hesitation.

Emerald felt her heart swell and she allowed herself to rest her head on Arkayna's shoulder. Despite finding herself crying again, she could internally smile that she didn't have to be alone this time. Her tears of fear and sorrow had now turned into tears of relief. Things were far from over, but at least she finally confided in somebody.

She'd never been more thankful to have Arkayna as her best friend that day.


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Hey guys, long time no see. I just want to start out saying that I am so sorry this update came so late. A lot of bad things have been going on in my life a little while after the previous chapter was posted and it’s been happening practically non-stop. Without telling you my life’s story, one of the problems is that I’ve seemed to have developed a chronic illness. I still don’t know much about it due to the pandemic going on, but it’s been an extremely difficult and traumatic time for me. That being said, this chapter is not my best work. 
> 
> I promise you guys that I worked as hard as I could on it as you only deserve the best, but I’m also really exhausted with it to. Because this chapter was being written while I’ve been dealing with so much, I have a lot of negative memories associated with it and I just can’t bring myself to work on it anymore. 
> 
> There will still be more of “Unexpected”, so don’t worry! I will not abandon this story, just please understand that some parts of this chapter may just not have my full A-game. Without further adieu, I hope you guys enjoy!! I’ll see you for Chapter Five!!

"And, we're here."

Emerald let out a quiet breath as Izzie landed smoothly on the cool, green grass that spread across her lawn. Nothing more than the soft crunch of a few stray leaves could be heard over the satisfied squawk the large beast let out. The dwarf had remained silent. On one hand, she was happy to be home, but on the other, she wasn't looking forward to her parents' reactions. Surely they weren't too happy that she had come home so late without a single text or call in advance. Especially her mother.

Her stomach turned slightly at the sight of her house. Despite the overwhelming silence that seemed to envelop over the entire lot, she could tell her parents were still up. The first floor's lights shone brightly through the glass, casting it's bright golden hue against the porch. Her eyes quickly flickered to the second floor where she suddenly saw one of the rooms go dark. 'Probably Eartha's...' she thought silently. There's no way her parents would willingly go to sleep if she wasn't home yet.

With a brief grunt, Arkayna effortlessly dismounted from her stead, giving Izzie a quick nuzzle as a way to thank her for the ride home. The griffin let out a small chirp of appreciation as the princess turned her attention to her best friend. Emerald was still sitting on top of the feathery creature, still gazing at her house anxiously, clearly zoned out. The mage couldn't help but frown at the sight. There were many times where she envied the younger teen for the life she led; while it may have had its own share of complications, it was far simpler in comparison.

But not anymore.

Now, the brunette couldn't help but feel a sense of relief that she was not in her shoes. While her life was still arguably more stressful, especially considering what was now held for her in the future, she couldn't possibly imagine becoming a mother right now. Seventeen was a difficult age–– she was less than a year away from reaching legal adulthood, the already steady relationship she had with Malvaron was becoming increasingly serious, her mother was continuously amping up the pressure on her future as the heir to the throne, not to mention her role as the leader of the Mysticons... it was all just so much. She was already saddled down with the weight of the world. Adding a baby to the already elaborate equation that was her life would push her over the edge.

Sure, Emerald wasn't a princess, or the leader to a heavily depended on group of individuals, but she was only sixteen–– despite her only being a year younger, that made her slightly more dependent on her family than Arkayna was. Especially considering she didn't exactly come from immense power or wealth like her own. Her family might be doing alright now, but six people under one roof with a baby on the way while only the father worked was bound to add up at some point. Not to mention, the older teen had an understanding of how the dwarf's family could be, as hers wasn't any better. Both girls were raised in rather strict households that held tremendously high expectations for them both.

The only key differences between them is that Arkayna's family has always been upfront and everlasting in their beliefs and values, whereas Emerald's hasn't. Mr. and Mrs. Goldenbraid have always prided themselves in being more open-minded, but as evident through their opinions regarding Golems, as well as Malachite's poor response to his daughter following a different career path, that was seldom true. That wasn't to say they've been bad parents or that they don't love their children, but she was sure the mixed signals made it harder for her friend to predict their reaction. Even if they have become slightly more lenient over the years, Arkayna hardly doubted that they wouldn't throw a massive fit over their daughter becoming pregnant before she was married. Especially considering the fact that she was still a minor and seemed to harbor mixed views on how they felt about her boyfriend. Of course, she knew this meant that if anything went south for the dwarf that she'd have to be there for her.

However, she could only pray that it wouldn't come to that.

After a few more moments, the princess cleared her throat, grabbing the dwarf's attention. The brunette offered her friend, who was now looking at her somewhat sheepishly, a tiny but warm smile. "Are you ready to go inside?" She asked, her eyes searching her over earnestly.

"No," Emerald retorted with a small chuckle, "but I don't really have much of a choice..." she said, swinging her leg over as she prepared for dismount. She studied the ground carefully, trying to find the perfect spot to land on. While she knew that there was no logical way for her to seriously injure herself from simply dismounting, she still couldn't help but feel a little fearful after she had been knocked off Topaz during the battle with Kymraw.

"Hey," Arkayna's gentle voice interjected, "I'm right here if you need me." She reminded her, her features softening with a sense of patience and understanding.

"Um, could you help me off?" Emerald asked, her face reddening slightly in embarrassment, "I don't want to fall or anything..."

"Sure!" Arkayna nodded, extending her arm out in support. She couldn't understand why, but something about that sight alone caused her blonde's insides to flip. Carefully, she reached out to grasp the brunette's hand, which felt both gentle yet sturdy in her grip. The older teen firmly squeezed in back as Emerald slid forward. Reflexively, the dwarf's breath hitched as the soles of her shoes made a brief, delicate thump! against the stoney pavement, only for her mass to betray her as she involuntarily swayed forward and into her best friend. Thankfully, the brunette was able to steady her, holding her up by her shoulders.

Air found itself caught in the dwarf's throat at the contact as something inside of her fluttered once their eyes made contact.

"You okay?" Arkayna asked, watching her friend attentively.

"Uh, yeah, thanks." Emerald stammered, fighting to hold her gaze as a surge of warmth rushed to her face. For some reason, she really hoped her best friend wouldn't pick up on it. Thankfully, the older teen didn't seem to notice, only instead giving her an affirming nod before they both turned their attention towards the house.

Emerald let out a heavy sigh before moving towards her home, "Welp, here goes nothing..."

"Hey, it's going to be fine." Arkayna assured her as she walked her to the door, wrapping a comforting arm over her shoulder, "Just remember our story; after we caught Kymraw you and I had some girl time back at my place and lost track of the time." She said, trying to keep her tone positive and upbeat for the younger teen.

Unfortunately, the dwarf didn't seem to share her friend's optimism. "I don't think that's going to make them any less mad..." Emerald mumbled under her breath, anxiously picking at her fingernails with her digits.

"Well, maybe not," Arkayna admitted with a neutral expression, "but having some kind of explanation might give them some kind of relief; especially if they think that you were with a trusted friend all day."

"I guess..." Emerald sighed as she stepped up onto the porch, practically dragging her feet, "I just don't like lying to my parents. I hated doing that when I first became a Mysticon and I hate that I've been lying to them about..." her voice trailed off in a perfect decrescendo as she quickly looked around to make sure no one around them was watching or within earshot before gesturing towards her stomach, "...this." She whispered the word out carefully, almost as if the single locution was as delicate as the child inside of her. "I... I just hate adding more onto it. It's starting to make me feel sick." She said, wrapping her arms around her own frame protectively as she avoided her liege's gaze.

The princess only nodded at her sympathetically, offering her a compassionate smile, "I understand what you mean, but look, you're already here. Just... take it one step at a time, okay? There's still time to make this better." Arkayna gently reminded her as she reached out to touch her arm, their eyes meeting once more. After a moment of silence, the dwarf noticed as Arkayna's lips parted slightly while her brows furrowed, almost as if she wanted to tell her something. However, nearly as quickly as she noticed it, something flashed behind her liege's eyes, her lips awkwardly pressing back together as her dark irises drifted away.

Something in Emerald's gut told her that something was going on with her friend, but wasn't sure if now was the time to question it. However, that didn't make her any less desperate to find out. "Arkayna," she spoke suddenly, getting her friend's attention, "is everything alr––"

Before she could finish the question, the door beside her suddenly flew open. Both teens instantly turned their heads in its direction, squinting against the blinding light that was now illuminating the porch in an aggressive, yellow hue. A short silhouette then emerged in the center of the door; one that Emerald recognized almost immediately.

"H-hey mom," she greeted nervously with a clumsy wave, "I'm home."

"Poo-tinkle!" Exclaimed Citrine, followed by a rather amplified gasp as well as an attempt to ensnare Emerald into one of her notoriously back-breaking hugs. Alas, her maternal gesture was almost immediately rejected, her daughter raising her arms up in a defensive stance as she took a step back. A pang of remorse washed over the teenaged dwarf as her mother's face contorted into an expression of first confusion, then hurt, then frustration. Citrine's eyebrows furrowed as she then crossed her arms, clearly offended, "Where have you been?" She snapped angrily, her scowl deepening, "You had your father and I worried sick!"

Emerald swallowed uneasily, suppressing a gulp, "Uh... I-I was hanging out with Arkayna after we caught Kymraw and ended up losing track of time," she answered, awkwardly gesturing to the girl standing next to her who only offered her mother a tiny smile.

"Hi, Mrs. Goldenbraid." Arkayna greeted, waving her hand .  
Citrine's features seemed to relax at the familiar sight of the teenage brunette. "Oh, Princess Arkayna," she said, turning towards her with an apologetic smile, "I'm so sorry–– how ill-mannered of me to ignore you!"

"It's fine, really," Arkayna assured her, taking a step forward, "besides, I'm the one that should be apologizing. I'm the reason why Em got back so late." She explained, gesturing towards herself for emphasis, "You see, we had a pretty intense day. Kymraw was tearing through the city and was destroying everything she possibly could. We got her, of course, but not without taking some serious hits––"

"What? Em, you should have come back home afterwards..." Citrine replied, her features softening almost immediately.

"Mom, I'm okay," asserted the young Knight, "I can take a few punches. It's in the job." She chuckled before quickly shooting Arkayna a 'dude, not helping' look.

"Yes," Arkayna interjected once more, "everyone made it out okay. We just felt a bit sore afterwards so we treated ourselves to a girls' day out. She actually kept wanting to text you first, in case we stayed out too late, but I kept telling her not to worry about it. Right, Em?" She asked, lazily swinging an arm over the shorter teen who only nodded reflexively, "Right–– so, please don't blame Em. That was my fault." She begged, flashing the older woman her most pitiful set of puppy-dog eyes. As much as Emerald hated that her best friend had to lie to her mother for her, she couldn't have been more grateful that she was willing to do that for her.

Citrine studied Arkayna thoughtfully, eventually letting out a rough sigh before giving her an appreciative smile, "Oh, it's alright... thank you for bringing my girl home." She said, before turning back to her daughter, her expression weary, "Just please, please be more vigilant next time. As I said, your father and I were very worried. Eartha was starting to become concerned too..."  
Emerald nodded apologetically, "I'm really sorry, mom. I promise to be more careful next time."

'That's probably not going to be the last time you say that...' a nasty voice in her head snickered.

"Alright, then. I'm just glad you girls are okay. That Kymraw sure seems to be a rough ol' gal..." Citrine commented, a half-humourous grin spreading across her face.

"That's an understatement," Arkayna snorted, rolling her eyes playfully at both of the dwarves, earning a giggle from the younger teen.

"Yeah," Emerald added breathlessly, "that troll is as tough as she lets on, I'll give her that much."

Citrine nodded in agreement, "Goodness, tell me about it! She's one of the most destructive criminals I've ever seen," she observed, her eyes widening slightly, "Y'know, she must've had a really awful upbringing to have turned out like that."

The two teens briefly exchanged a curious look, before Arkayna quirked an eyebrow at the older dwarf's comment, "You think so?"

"Oh, absolutely!" chimed in the older woman, her face growing serious, "She reminds me of this girl I grew up with when I was around your age. She was always getting into trouble and seemed to have all these emotional problems..." she muttered, visibly irritated by the memory, "Though, I suppose it wasn't entirely her fault."  
Emerald cocked her head to the side, giving her mother a puzzled look, "What do you mean? What was wrong with her?"

"Well, I believe her mother had her when she was only... sixteen, I believe?" Citrine replied, tapping her chin thoughtfully before shaking her head, "Can you imagine that? It's disgusting. Who knows what that she was exposed to..."

Emerald instantly felt her heart sink, her body suddenly going stiff. She opened her mouth, initially overcome by the urge to say something–– anything to try and defend the mother of a woman she had never met, but unfortunately no words had come to mind. It was like her brain became a blank state. How was she supposed to respond to something like that? The dwarf felt paralyzed by her mother's words, her throat constricting against itself as her tongue went dry.

Carefully, she closed her mouth, the sensation of helplessness washing over her. Arkayna, on the other hand, looked like she was on the verge of rage. Unlike her, the brunette appeared as if she had a lot on her mind that she wanted to address.

"And just what do you mean by that?" Arkayna quipped, her body language tightening. She tried to keep her voice steady, but Emerald could hear the slight defensive edge in her tone. Before she could react, her mother was quick with a response.

"Oh, well, it's just all these young parents are just so self-absorbed and irresponsible." Citrine answered almost a little too casually, not seeming to pick up on Arkayna's agitation, "The reason why they even had children in the first place is because they let their hormones drive them to breed like animals! As a result, their children grow up feeling neglected and unloved because they keep being bounced between family members while their parents are trying to play catch up with their careers or are on the prowl for another partner."

With her eyes narrowed and her lips pulled back into a snarl, Arkayna was just about ready to let the older woman have it. What did she know? Even if she wasn't aware of her daughter's pregnancy, how dare she make her feel like she can't be a good mother? However, just as Arkayna was about to open her mouth to object, she caught Emerald's gaze, making her nearly freeze in place. The brunette's vexed demeanour fell almost entirely at the sight of her best friend. The younger dwarf's complexion had paled significantly while her eyes appeared both distraught yet empty, mixed with another emotion that she couldn't quite read. Much to her concern, she looked like she was on the verge of breaking down into tears. Unsure of what to do, she decided to hold her tongue. The last thing Emerald needed was for her to escalate things and risk making them worse.

Unfortunately, Citrine still remained oblivious to their emotions and continued to drone on, "All that suffering just to feel a few moments of pleasure... it's sad, really." She sighed, shaking her head in disgust, "Having a child is supposed to be a loving and sacred choice, but now it's nothing but a free-for-all."

Those last few words hit Emerald hard. Was she really that much of an abomination in her mother's eyes? She felt her eyes start to sting from the tears that were threatening to spring loose. "I'm... I'm going to bed." She said abruptly, catching both her mother and Arkayna off guard as she pushed her way past her mother, not caring if there would be repercussions for that later.  
She just had to get out of there.

"Poo-tinkle? Em?" She heard her mother call after her, but didn't dare turn around.

"I'm not feeling well," she croaked miserably, "I think I want to go lie down."

Before anyone could respond, Emerald swiftly made her way up the stairs, even ignoring her father as she ran for her room. She couldn't bear to be around her parents right now–– especially not after what her mother just said. Who's to say her father didn't feel the same way as well? After all, he's thought less of her over much more minor things. Her cheeks had now become wet from being unable to hold back her tears any longer. As soon as she reached her bedroom door, she practically ripped it open, quickly making her way inside before basically slamming it shut. She knew that might earn her some prying questions later, but right now she couldn't have cared any less.

She just wanted to be alone.

An agonized cry escaped through her lips as soon as she took a wobbly step forward before falling onto her knees. Hot tears continued to streak down her face as a deep, painful burning sensation overwhelmed her chest. She hated herself. She hated herself and she only had herself to blame. Everything her mother had said was true. She was only in this situation to begin with because she wanted to feel good; those "few moments of pleasure" as she had so bluntly put it. Despite her best attempts to stay safe, she had always known that there could still be consequences, but pushed all those thoughts regarding them aside just so she could have a bit of fun with her boyfriend.

And if her mother was right about that, then who's to say she wasn't right about the fate of her child? Something inside of her chest clenched tightly at the mere thought of it. Sure, she may not have ruined her life, as Arkayna tried to tell her earlier, but she might've already ruined her baby's. There's no way her parents would allow her to drop her basic education, especially considering Queen Goodfey was so generous to offer her several of her own daughter's instructors ever since she started working as their griffin wrangler. Even after she'd graduate, there was no possible way for her to be a full-time parent, even if she refused to pursue a higher education or quit her job as a griffin wrangler.

She was chosen as a Mysticon Knight. There was no way out of that. The royal family depended on her. Her friends and teammates depended on her. Drake City depended on her. All of Gemina depended on her. No one would look at her kindly if she dropped everything for the child that she got pregnant with, nor could she bear the thought of abandoning millions of lives for a mistake that she made. That wouldn't be fair, but then again, nothing about this was.

'There's always adoption... or abortion.'

Deep down, Emerald knew she had other options–– both of which made her sick to her stomach for similar but various reasons. Even though the circumstances weren't ideal, she knew for a fact that she wanted her baby. It existed inside of her because of her and Kasey. Even if they shouldn't have done it, she couldn't forget about that. While she would never judge anyone for choosing to do so, she couldn't imagine ending her pregnancy. Not when she was carrying something that had the DNA of both her and the boy she loved. That simply wasn't an option for her. However, adoption wasn't really all that more enticing to her either. Yes, she would have a chance to choose the adoptive parents, and get to see what her baby would look like after it was born. Maybe if she was incredibly lucky, they'd be open to working out an open adoption.

All she'd have to do would be to carry it to term, and then everything could go back to normal, but that's all she'd ever get to do for certain. Once those nine months were over, so were her rights as a parent. Her child wouldn't live with her. She wouldn't get to see them everyday or even have a chance to develop a meaningful relationship with them. It's possible they could both go the rest of their lives without ever getting to know each other. The idea alone almost made Emerald want to go crazy. Even if it sounded terrible, she'd almost rather terminate the pregnancy then go through that. At least everything would end there, and she wouldn't ever have to worry about how their life was going to turn out without her knowing about it.

Something akin to rage began to seethe deep inside of her. Why was she ever chosen to become a Mysticon? Yes, she had been responsible most of her life, unlike many kids her age. However, there were clearly more responsible and dedicated candidates than herself. She had been putting herself at risk ever since Kasey and his sister returned from their journey with the Moon Elves. This could've happened much sooner than it did, so why should anyone so eager to make those decisions anyway be given such an honorable yet delicate role? How could the universe be so damned stupid?

If she had been alone in the house, she would have just let herself scream. The more questions she asked herself the more sick she felt as she laid hopelessly across her bedroom floor. Right now, everything hurt. Her body, her heart, her mind... she had nothing left inside of her. All she just wanted to do was sleep. It was the only way she could detach from her difficult reality for a little while. Carefully, she picked herself from off of the floor, her bones aching as she did so before slowly moving towards her bed.

She practically collapsed against her sturdy mattress as she gripped at the soft sheets and pulled them closer to her tear-stained face, inhaling the soothing scent of lavender. Finally, the sweet release of sleep washed over her, setting her free from reality as consciousness slipped into the warm and quiet darkness.

* * *

Emerald awoke to the sound of plates clanking against each other from the kitchen. With an audible groan, the dwarf slowly sat up in her bed, her eyes still clenched shut as she tried to ignore the pounding in her head as well as the nausea in her stomach. She hoped that whatever her mother was cooking up this morning wouldn’t leave her puking out her intestines for the rest of the morning. While she had been slowly learning how to become more accustomed with her now sensitive stomach, she had to admit, throwing up almost every day was getting to become extremely annoying and a bit painful.

Slowly, she forced herself out of her bed, immediately making her way towards her closet. Her mind still felt fuzzy and numb from her mother’s words the night before. She felt so unfocused that her brain couldn’t seem to make a decision about what she wanted to wear. Sighing, she just reached for whatever was in front of her, not really caring how she looked. Normally she would spend some time fretting over whether or not her clothes matched, but that was back before she realized her mother thought of her as a disgusting and irresponsible person. Emerald tried and failed to repress an agitated snort, “Guess if I’m as gross and reckless as all the others, I might as well start looking the part…” she grumbled, slamming her closet door shut before she slipped on the fresh pair of clothes.

After she got dressed, the young dwarf made her way towards the dresser, gazing and hard into its mirror. Unsurprisingly, she looked like utter hell. Her hair was a complete mess, like she had just walked miles and miles through a deadly blizzard or storm. Not to mention, her skin was still pale and sickly while two dark rings could be seen under her eyes, indicating that she hadn’t gotten much sleep, never minding the fact that she had actually overslept. Her eyes still appeared to be bloodshot and swollen, a sight that she had become quite accustomed to during the past few weeks. “Another day, another full twenty-four hours of misery…” she muttered cynically.

Emerald noticed that it took her much longer to clean up than it normally did, her movements sluggish and lethargic. ‘Why can’t I seem to get motivated?’ She asked herself, despite knowing the answer to her question. She let out a deep sigh, messaging her temples gently with her fingers. Her day had barely begun and it already sucked.  
A few moments later, her phone let out two short buzzes, vibrating against the wooden dresser. Lazily, she reached over, barely grasping it with her hands. A text from Arkayna was the first to show on her notification wall. As she pressed the tiny speech bubble icon, she tried to ignore the overflowing streams of messages from her other friends, as well as the fact that Kasey hadn’t even sent her a single text since yesterday.

Not that she was actually surprised by that.

Disregarding the small lump in her throat, she turned her attention to what her best friend had to say.

**Arkayna: Are you okay?? You seemed really upset last night after you went inside. I mean, it’s understandable, but I was still really worried about you.**  
**Arkayna: Also, sorry for not checking in on you last night–– when I got back home I needed to explain stuff to everyone else. Your secret is still safe, btw!! I just mostly let them know that you weren’t, like, in danger or anything.**

Emerald allowed herself to relax a little after hearing that. She really wasn’t sure if she could fend herself off from the others at the moment. She was lucky to have Arkayna covering for her.

**Emerald: OMG, thank you for talking to them and for keeping things a secret for now. I was kinda worried about that.**  
**Emerald: And honestly? I could be way better. What my mom said just really hurt. I knew her opinion wouldn’t be positive (because no one is on this sort of thing…) but I wasn’t expecting anything like that tbh.**

It didn’t take long for her to reply back.

**Arkayna: NP!! <3**  
**Arkayna: But yeah, that was just super messed up!! She really shouldn’t be saying stuff like that–– it’s super offensive. Plus, not even true?? Not all teen parents are like that. *You’re* not like that. Please don’t listen to her.**  
**Arkayna: Oh yeah, sorry if I made things any worse last night. I should’ve tried to like, idk, change the topic or something. I think I only added to the fire by accident. I just got so livid and wasn’t thinking as clearly. Still, it wasn’t about me and letting my temper get the better of me wasn’t fair to you at all.**

**Emerald: Don’t worry about it… she still said what she said before that, so I don’t think you really contributed much to it tbh. She always prides herself in how “open-minded” she is, but she’s really not like that at all. She’s always been that way and it always gives me whiplash bc I never know what to expect lmao. I just don’t know what my next step is yet or even what to think rn. My head hurts.**  
**Emerald: I just hope she won’t cause more problems when I break the news to her; whenever THAT will be… :/**

**Arkayna: Ugh,,, she better NOT.**  
**Arkayna: I swear, if she does, ITS ONSIGHT!!**

For the first time today, Emerald cracked a smile.

**Arkayna: JK JK. Sorry, I know now isn’t the time to joke.**  
**Arkayna: For real though, whatever happens, I’ll be here. I don’t think your parents would do this, but if you’re worried about getting kicked out or something like that, you can come live with me!! The Stronghold is basically a second home to all of us anyway, so there’s that too!! I know neither of those are super ideal, and I don’t want you to panic or anything, but just know you have a support system somewhere. Just know that I’ll be looking out for you, okay??**

**Emerald: Ajdfjdshgjdskg thanks Arkayna :’)**  
**Emerald: I don’t think they’d kick me out either, but that really means a lot. Thank you for being here.**  
**Emerald: Brb. I’m gonna go and try to eat something. I feel so sluggish…**

**Arkayna: Of course!! <3**  
**Arkayna: And yes PLEASE keep taking care of yourself!! If you need anything from me, please let me know!!**

**Emerald: Will do! Ttyl.**

“Well,” she sighed to herself as she got up from her chair, “at least I have one person on my side.” While it didn’t completely alleviate the empty feeling in her chest, it at least eased some of her stress. If she was in a dark place right now, Emerald didn’t even want to imagine the kind of thoughts going through her head if her best friend hadn’t voiced her support for her.  
She could only hope that her other friends would be as understanding.

* * *

As soon as her foot hit the bottom step, the smell of bacon hit her nose, instantly making her mouth water. Finally, something that didn’t make her want to puke her guts out. The stimulation to her appetite actually helped her feel more like herself as she sat down in her usual seat that happened to be placed between Eartha and her two brothers. Her mother was still cooking near the stove while her father had presumably left for work.

Eartha, as usual, was one the first to greet her, “Good morning, Em! How are you this morning?” She asked, flashing the dwarf her signature sweet smile. From the corner of her eye, the young blonde noticed her mother turn her head to look at her, an relieved grin on her face. Emerald just tried to ignore her, still feeling rather uncomfortable around the much older woman.

“Fine,” she lied, hoping her smile hadn’t faltered, “how are you?” she asked just a little too quickly.

“I’m okay, but… I thought I had heard sniffling coming from your room last night.” Eartha said, her eyes visibly clouding over with concern, “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“I heard it too!” chimed in Ferris, much to his sister’s annoyance, “It sounded like you were crying!”

“No, I wasn’t!” Emerald snipped, her tone sounding far more defensive than she had intended. Eartha and the twins looked unconvinced.

“Yeah right,” Hallite added grumpily, “you kept waking me up! Are you having ‘lady problems’ again?”

“Boys,” Citrine warned as she placed the food on the table, her eyes narrowed at them, “what did I tell you about sticking your nose into another person’s business?”

“Yeah, Hallite,” Emerald retorted, “what did mom tell you?”

Hallite avoided his mother’s gaze, crossing his arms defensively before hanging his head in defeat, “You always say we shouldn’t judge and just keep to ourselves…” he sighed, shooting his older sister a deadly glare, “even if it’s really, really annoying.”

Emerald quickly shot back a glare of her own. Normally, she usually reserved far more patience for her younger brothers, but she really was not having it today. Her mother then turned her gaze to her daughter, who only offered her a phony smile. Citrine frowned, her eyes turning soft with concern, “But poo-tinkle, what were you so upset about? You were behaving so strangely after you came home last night.” She spoke gently, her voice calm and delicate. Emerald could hardly believe this was the same woman who would soon be calling her repulsive or abhorrent.

The teenage dwarf averted her mother’s gaze, quickly reaching for one of the plates before speaking, “Like I said,” she mumbled, grabbing her fork, “I wasn’t crying.”

Citrine and Eartha silently exchanged a look with one another, neither one of them convinced.

Eartha delicately cleared her throat before whispering “Are you having… y’know, ‘lady problems’?” she asked, nearly making the dwarf spit out her breakfast, “I know I don’t get them like dwarves and humans do, but I can understand they can be distressing and painful. Perhaps I could–”

“Eartha,” Emerald snapped suddenly, catching everyone’s attention, “my only ‘lady problem’ here is that everyone keeps pestering me about nothing! Nothing is wrong, okay?”  
She instantly regretted her words as Eartha’s face fell, “Oh… I see.” She said quietly, her eyes crestfallen, “I’m sorry.”

“Oh, Eartha… no, I–”

“Sweetie,” Citrine cut in, now visibly more worried, “you know you can tell us anything, right?”

Emerald had to fight with every fiber in her being to suppress the hurt, yet sarcastic snort threatening to get out. As if she was stupid enough to fall for that trap.

“Nothing is wrong.” She repeated nearly through gritted teeth, her fingernails digging into her palms.

Her mother only looked more concerned now, “Em, we’re your family. No one is here to judge you–”

Citrine was cut off by the sound of her daughter bolting up from her chair abruptly, knocking over the glass of water next to her. How dare she? How dare her mother; who raised her since birth, who always said she’d love her no matter what, who always said that she wanted the best for her lie to her, straight to her face? Why would her mother promise to never judge her if she clearly thought so openly low of others? How could she believe her? Her face suddenly felt hot. The air surrounding her suddenly went thin, making it all the harder to breathe as everything seemed to spin around her. She swallowed desperately, attempting to moisten her now parched mouth. A hard lump had formed in her throat as she felt something in her stomach shift.

She had to get out of there.

“I… n-need some fresh air.” She blurted, turning away from her family. Without another thought, she swiftly moved for the front door, despite the protests of everyone else.

“Poo-tinkle, wait!” Her mother cried, “You haven’t even finished your breakfast!”

“I’ll finish it later.” she replied, not daring to look back as she pried the door open, already feeling the cool air graze against her face. Closely it quickly, Emerald could feel her breathing start to become shallow, her heart rate becoming erratic. ‘I have to get out of here…!’

But where would she go? She didn’t just want to run around like a headless chicken. She needed someone to talk to. The first person that came to mind was Arkayna, until the dwarf thought better of it. While the princess meant it when she said she’d be there if she needed her, Emerald really didn’t want to burden her. Not to mention, she was likely with the others, and she was not ready to face them yet.

Of course, that only left one other person. As much as she dreaded to tell him now, this was long overdue.She sucked in a deep breath as she pulled out her phone, dialing the number she wanted to call before putting it up to her. “Please, pick up.” She whimpered anxiously after hearing the first few rings.

Finally, everything went silent before an all too familiar voice spoke up, “Hello?”

“K-Kasey,” she said, her voice cracking, “it’s me… I need to talk to you.”

* * *

Emerald speedily made her way down the path, trying to focus on her breathing as she ran as quickly as she could. The route that settled between her parents’ house and the cliffside at which the Pink Skulls would normally dock there ship was thankfully very short. However, it was also very breathtakingly beautiful. Open fields surrounded every inch and angle of her, encircling her in shades of chartreuse with only the bright, blue sky above her. It was one of the few places that still remained untouched by land development in Rudick’s Hollow, which made it the perfect place for her fellow dwarves to laze about and spend time with one another.

In fact, she had already passed by numerous families partaking in picnics, playing with a frisbee or soccer ball, or even taking a leisurely walk or jog. While she didn’t pay much attention to most of them, there was one tiny, dwarven family that caught her eye. A young father, perhaps in his early-to-mid twenties, was playfully chasing after a little girl who looked to be around four or so. Both had wide smiles plastered on their faces, their eyes sparkling mischievously as they pranced around together. The man had long legs for a dwarf; long enough for Emerald to wonder if he might be half-human or elf.

They were also long enough for others to know that he could have easily caught his daughter by now, but instead chose to let her believe that she was faster than him. The payoff seemed to be rewarding enough though; even from the distance between Emerald and the family, she could hear the tiny girl’s high-pitched giggles as her curly hair bounced against her shoulders, enhancing the joyful features on her face. A deep, but feminine laugh suddenly cut through as a small woman suddenly ascended from the tall blades of grass, pouncing on both her daughter and partner, taking them both by surprise.

After flopping against the field’s soft, green floor the whole family erupted into a fit of giggles as both mother and father pulled their child closer between them. Peaceful couldn’t even begin to describe how content they appeared to be. While sighs like these were far from uncommon here, that didn’t make it any less cute. Trying to turn her focus back on the path in front of her, the dwarf couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow drop in her chest.

She wanted that. She wanted her baby to have two parents. She wanted her and Kasey to experience parenthood together. She wanted to have a beautiful wedding in a stylish dress while being surrounded by her family and friends, eager to celebrate with them. She wanted family outings in breezy, sunny fields where they could play all day and just forget about life for awhile. Most of all, she just wanted to feel happy and carefree with Kasey and their child without any complications out to turn their lives into ruins. Emerald wanted what that family had so damn badly that it almost killed her.

Although, deep down she knew that was she was craving was just pure, idealistic fluff. She didn’t know that family. Their lives probably weren’t as perfect and simple as she’d like to think. They probably got into spats from time to time and likely stressed over bills, what kind of school they should send their daughter too, and other things that the dwarf was still too young to understand yet. Besides, even if they were perfect, who’s to say that Kasey wanted all of those things with her?

Emerald then felt her breathing start to go ragged and she shook her head, trying to force the thoughts out of her mind. She couldn’t let her feelings get the better of her now, not when there was so much she still needed to say. The last thing she needed was to look like an overly emotional basket case in front of Kasey after not seeing him in over twenty-four hours. Who knows what’s been going through his head since yesterday morning; she could only imagine how distraught and stressed out he’s been since then.

After a few more seconds of jogging, the blonde noticed a flash of pink up ahead. Kasey appeared to be waiting by the sky ship, rocking back and forth on his heels as he kept his gaze fixated on the earth beneath him. Eventually, he looked up and noticed her, raising his arm to wave at her awkwardly. Her mind felt like it was moving faster than her own feet. What should she even say? Should she let him speak first? Her thoughts eventually blurred together as soon as she halted right in from of him, her brain turning into slop as she struggled to catch her breath.

Kasey moved forward with extended arms, like he wanted to help her before stopping himself and deciding to take a step back. A somewhat helpless expression rested on his face as he kept his eyes carefully fixed onto her. The dwarf felt something twist inside of her chest again, knowing it was her own doing that he didn’t want to touch her. After using a few more seconds to recoup, Emerald finally regained her composure, straightening out the wrinkles in her top before awkwardly meeting his gaze.

She noticed that his eyelids were pulled back in surprise as his silver eyes glanced over her frame. It almost as if he couldn’t believe that she actually showed up. Emerald supposed she couldn’t really blame him. After all, a small part of her felt still felt tempted to just turn around and run, as sick and tired as she was of it.

“Um, hey…” she said finally, her voice low as she started fidgeting with her shirt.

“Hi…” he replied just as awkwardly. After several moments had passed, both parties glanced away from each other, unsure of how to act.

‘Just say something, damn it!’

“There’s something very important that we need to talk–”

“So, I got your call and you sounded–”

Both teens then snapped their heads up, their gazes locking onto each other under the realization that they had both started speaking at the same time, breeding another pause of uncomfortable silence between them. Kasey couldn’t resist cracking a small nervous smile as a tiny chuckle erupted from his throat. Emerald couldn’t help but anxiously mimic his reaction, her own laugh coming out louder than intended. Her mind was so desperate for a good laugh; her brain felt like it was about to split in half and melt from under the pressure of it all.

Now it was Kasey’s turn to try and regain his composure, he put a hand over his mouth as he let out a fraught cough, trying to clear his throat. His face was a deep shade of red now, perfectly matching the hues that vividly colored the young blonde’s cheeks. Quite the pair they were. “So, uh, it seems like you have something to tell me?” he asked cautiously, clearly still feeling just as nervous as before.

“Uh, y-yeah…” she replied, also still just as uneasily.

The teenage boy cleared his throat again, “Would you rather talk about it inside?” he offered politely, “Kitty and some of the others left to run some errands, so…”

The dwarf nodded gratefully. While no one was within earshot of them at the moment, this was a matter that required a more… intimate or private setting. She’d also rather not get emotional over something so personal in such an open area, especially considering she could still hear and see several happy families playing and spending time together in the distance.

“That would be nice,” she said, a tiny smile appearing on her soft lips, “thank you.”

Kasey’s own smile then relaxed slightly as gestured towards the sky ship, “After you…”

* * *

Emerald let out a sigh as she heard the gentle click! of Kasey's door. Just last night she was in a similar position with Arkayna; hiding out in a bedroom that wasn't her own and about to unleash a bombshell that few would have ever expected. She chewed the inside of her cheek as she glanced at the bed in front of her. At the moment, she couldn't tell if she found it's presence aggravating, upsetting, or even hilarious. After all, it was several weeks ago here that the pair had made a particular choice in which Emerald was now carrying the weight of the consequences for. She hesitantly sat by the foot of the bed, mentally cursing herself out for choosing to sit there, despite there not being any other options.

Kasey stood in front of her, fidgeting with his thumbs. Obviously, the young boy was still feeling a little awkward about having Emerald in his room with everything that's happened between them recently, "Uh, do you want me to... sh-should I sit?"

The dwarf smiled at him weakly, "You're going to need to."

The teenage boy's eyes went wide at that, "Oh geez," he breathed out before sitting down next to her. For a few seconds, neither of them spoke. Both teens avoided looking at each other, clearly feeling too uncomfortable to know how to initiate a conversation. For a moment, Emerald entertained the idea of just blurting out 'I'M PREGNANT!' just to get it over with. The anticipation was practically killing her.

Suddenly, she heard Kasey clearing his throat before speaking, "Are you alright? You sounded really upset over the phone. Can I get you anything?"

Emerald paused, briefly reflecting on how to answer before gently shook her head, "No, I'm... okay." she said, shifting a little bit closer to him, causing Kasey to flinch. For a moment, they both stared at each other, both feeling guilty but for wildly different reasons. The dwarf could only try to ignore the pain she felt in her chest, unsure of what to say to him. The reason why he flinched was entirely her fault, after all. The last time the two had gotten so close had ended with Kasey being knocked flat on his back. Already, she had begun to fill her eyes well up with tears, the memory alone making her throat tighten with remorse.

"I... oh, Kasey, I'm so sorry." Emerald said, her voice cracking as she started to shake, "I never meant to hurt you. I c-can't believe I d-did that to you...!" her breath suddenly hitched as little growing sobs started pouring out of her mouth, unable to stop the warm stream of guilt-ridden tears beginning to trickle down the curve of her cheeks.

"H-hey, poo-tinkle, no..." he pleaded, keeping his voice soft but steady as he moved to put his arm around her, pulling him closely to her. "Shh, it's okay, I know you didn't mean it." he whispered gently, hoping that would be enough to comfort her. Admittedly, he felt a little taken off guard. After what happened the day before he hadn't exactly been expecting to run into Emerald anytime soon, but especially not like this. Now that he had just gotten her situated and secure inside his room, she was upset again. He gave himself a moment to internally curse himself for reacting the way he did, even though he hadn't meant to.

"N-no, it's not," she sniffed, looking up at him with glossy eyes, "I owe you a-an explanation..." she confessed with another sniff, her voice wavering slightly, "There's something you need to know."

Desperately trying not to let his own anxiety sky-rocket, the young boy only swallowed uneasily, attempting and failing to moisten his own mouth which had seemed to have gone dry against his own will. He was trying not to let his previous fears of his girlfriend finding another lover get the best of him, but his mind couldn't help but wander there anyway. Whatever it may be, the anticipation was practically tearing him apart, and he no longer wished to ignore it. "Wait," he breathed, not giving the blonde a chance to continue just yet, "I... I want to hear what you have to say, but there's something you really need to know too." He said, gently reaching for her hand, noticing how her eyes flickered down at them before returning his gaze, "But only if you'll let me!" he quickly cut in, not wanting to scare his girlfriend out of talking to him.

For a moment, the dwarf could only blink up at him through her tears in a mix of suspension and confusion. What could he possibly have to say to her? Though, she supposed it was obvious. She was certain that he would probably want to talk to her about how he was wanting to leave her, specifically over how awful she'd been to him during the past three weeks. Despite the fact that she had rehearsed this moment in her head so many times, she had never felt more unprepared for anything in her life.

Regardless, Emerald only nodded, signaling for Kasey to speak first. It was the least she could do, really–– especially considering her own confession is going to strip him of the life he had grown accustomed for the past two years. The older teen then let out a deep exhale before glancing up at the ceiling. It was almost as if he'd rehearsed something in his head as well, but lost all of it under the heat of the moment. Eventually, he gazed back at the dwarf, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably, "Look, I need to apologize."

Emerald couldn't help but cock her head, her confusion only growing. Apologize? What on earth could he possibly have to apologize for? She was the one at fault. She was the one who shut him out. She was the one who pushed him. All he'd ever done was try to be supportive despite her mistreatment of him. Between the two of them, Kasey was clearly the saint. How could he not see that? "I... I don't follow." she said carefully, her apprehension heightening somewhat.

"I was wrong by not being more attentive to you..." he started, not easing the Knight's uncertainty at all, "I still don't know why you've been acting so differently, but..." he paused, swallowing, "I was starting to wonder if you were tired of me or something. We've been together for almost two full years. We're teenagers. That's kind of a long time for us. And instead of confronting it head on, I just kept getting in your face when you didn't want me to and acted like everything was normal. I was afraid of losing you, when I should've been prioritizing your happiness. I'm sorry." he finished, hanging his head in shame, averting his gaze. "I just... I really needed to get that off my chest. I don't blame you if you'd rather be with someone else or–"

"Hold up, what?" Emerald cut in, nearly blindsided by his words. The dwarf felt like she'd been punched in the gut, among other things. While she hadn't been completely sure what she was supposed to expect, it certainly wasn't that. Did Kasey really believe that? Did he really believe that she actually wanted to be with somebody else? She hadn't even been aware that her mouth had fell open until she felt the sudden urge to swallow. Slowly, she clamped her mouth shut, fixing her gaze onto her boyfriend, uncertain on what to say next.

She felt her insides twist with guilt. The fact that he also seemed to believe that the entire situation was his fault only made it worse. He did absolutely nothing wrong, and yet he was the one who was mature enough to apologize as a way to make amends anyway. 'I have to be the worst girlfriend in the world...' echoed one thought. 'And you're surprised about that?' echoed another.  
"Oh, Kasey," Emerald breathed, gently squeezing his hand, tears springing to her eyes once more, "I-I was never upset with you! You didn't do anything wrong."

Kasey only blinked back at her in surprise. Now it was his turn to feel confused. "I didn't? Are you sure?" he asked, letting out a shallow breath; partially out of relief but also out of tension.

"Yes!" she stated much louder than she had intended to, "And I don't want anyone else either! I just need you, Kasey!" she cried as tears of frustration started to make their way down her cheeks again, "I love you! I've just been trying to... trying to protect you."

"Protect me?" he asked, clearly puzzled, "From what?"  
Emerald then bit her lip before glancing sideways. She let out a deep exhale as she wiped at the few tears that were still stuck to her face, her brows furrowing. Now here came the fun part, and she no longer had any idea on how to begin. Almost all at once, everything she had planned to say completely vanished from her thoughts. Instead, they were replaced with images of what would happen after she told him and none of them were pleasant. No matter what she told herself on the inside, that cruel, manipulative voice in her head made sure she felt otherwise. Though it was one of the hardest things she'd ever done, she looked into his eyes, "Kasey..." her voice trembled and she felt her lips quiver, "w-we... we messed up. Big time."

Trying to take deep breaths, she looked down at her hands as she tried to pull herself together. She could feel the panic rising in her chest, and attempted to push it down as much as possible before speaking again. Thankfully, Kasey was patient. Despite his own nervousness and disconcertment swelling, he just leaned over, gently clasping her hand in his while stroking it soothingly with his thumbs. He offered her a tiny but reassuring smile, trying to show his support for her, "Em, it's okay. You can tell me anything." he promised, his demeanor unmoving.

Emerald could hear the sound of her stray teardrops pattering softly against his bedsheets as their eyes met. Even as she continued to blink through her hot, thick tears she could see that he meant it. His silver eyes were clouded over with his concern for her, perfectly reflecting the sense of solicitude she felt him display for her. She could tell that he was growing fearful, and yet he remained. She couldn't understand why she was so surprised by that. After all, he had always been there for her when she needed him.

While the pounding in her chest hadn't once subsided, she felt a strange sense of adrenaline wash over her. She wasn't sure what brought it on but she realized that if she didn't take advantage of it and just say it, then she may never have the courage to tell him again. Sucking in a deep breath, she closed her eyes. As she did so, her sense seemed to heighten around her–– the wet, messy splotches on her face, her heart hammering viciously against her ribcage, the way Kasey's hands would periodically squeeze around hers after every few breaths between them... she could feel it all.

And just like before she confessed everything to Arkayna, there was that all too familiar sensation of the world spinning madly around her, but this time, she felt she wanted nothing more than to get off. "K-Kasey," she rasped finally, not daring to open her eyes, "I-I'm pregnant." Her voice had cracked as she spoke the final word. The word that just changed everything forever. Once again, everything came to a screeching halt. The world had stopped spinning, but she didn't feel any less dizzied by her surroundings.

The words continued to hang heavily between them for what felt like hours. If it weren't for the sound of her uneven and ragged breaths, she would've sworn she had suddenly gone deaf. Emerald felt her own body stiffen as Kasey just looked at her, almost blankly, as his eyelids were peeled back wide in complete and utter shock. For a moment, it didn't even appear as if he was still in his own frame until there was a shift in his eyes that the dwarf couldn't quite explain. Did he feel upset? Angry? Petrified? A mix of all? She couldn't tell. She couldn't even tell what she herself was feeling right at this moment. It was almost like something inside of her shut down, not completely numbing her, but definitely cushioning her emotions.

Finally, he slowly moved his hand to her cheek, gently wiping away the few tears that still remained on her cheek. He kept his palm there as he studied her. The dwarf couldn't help but notice how hot his skin felt against hers as she stared back at him. The ongoing silence between them was starting to make her uncomfortable. Eventually, he let out a short breath, "Em," he started, the pain lingering in his voice, "why didn't you tell me?" His shocked expression had morphed into one of hurt.

"I-I... I don't know," she whimpered, averting her gaze as she leaned into his hand, "I was just really scared. I thought y-you'd be really upset..." she sniffed, her bottom lip twitching, "Th-that y-you wouldn't want me anymore. This baby is going to change everything..."

Kasey wished he could say that he didn't understand where her fears were coming from, but sadly he could not. While he would never know what it was like to be pregnant, he's known several young girls and women within the Pink Skulls that have been forced to leave after falling pregnant. While many of the fathers often took responsibility, regardless of their relationship status with the mother, there were also many that did not and would ditch their former lovers. It always angered him when that happened. The majority of those who joined the Pink Skulls were orphaned as young children. How could anyone, especially if they themselves lost their parents at such a young age, fathom the idea of abandoning their own children? If their own parents didn't really "choose" to leave, why would they?

As much as it hurt him that Emerald would think he would dump her, he understood it. Letting out a much needed sigh, he gently caressed her cheek, "You're right," he admitted, "a baby is going to change everything, but we're going to get through it."

Emerald delicately placed a hand over the one that was currently stroking her cheek, "B-but... aren't you afraid? You're not going to have the time to do everything you like anymore." she said, her own brows furrowing.

"Are you kidding?" he asked, cracking a dry smile, "I'm terrified! Hearing that you're pregnant almost made me black out–– not because I don't want to be there for you, but because I'm scared." he stated. Emerald could've sworn she heard his voice waver. "I... I don't know if I'll be a good father. I was so young when my own father died that I really don't remember what it's like to even have one. I could really mess this kid up..." his voice cracked on the last sentence, earning a tiny gasp from the blonde.

"No, boo-tinkle..." she said softly, swiftly placing her hands on each side of his head, "I know you lost your parents a really long time ago, but that doesn't mean you're not going to be a great father." The dwarf could see her lover's eyes become wet and shiny with tears, nearly making her heart snap in two. She slowly leaned forward, planting a gentle kiss on his forehead, "Besides, I still have my mom, but I have no idea if I'll even be a good mother." she whispered half-humorously, cracking a dry smile of her own, "If it's any consolation... I'm just as clueless as you are, to be honest."

Kasey let out a scratchy chuckle, "Good to know we're on the same page then," he sniffed, a few tears streaking down his face, "But please, please understand that I would never abandon you." he begged, his face turning serious once more, "That was something I decided not long after we first met. You're everything to me."

Another set of tears pricked at Emerald's eyes, causing her lover to rush to dry her cheeks with his gentle fingers as they spilled past her cheeks. "I'm sorry," she said, followed by a small hiccup, "I'm sorry for everything. I love you so much."

He kissed her tear stained cheeks, before delicately meeting her lips, "It's okay, I love you too." he whispered, leaving a small trail between her lips to her jawline, earning a short giggle from the young Knight. "Everything is going to be okay."

A hideous choking sound then suddenly spilled from the blonde's mouth and before either of them could process it, the dwarf immediately latched herself onto Kasey, wrapping her arms around him tightly. She could feel her entire frame tremble wildly from under his limbs as deep, acute sobs wracked her tiny body. Her tears and feelings of terror and anguish evolved into tears of relief and something akin to elation as she allowed herself to melt into his touch, letting him support her weight. While she knew this chapter in her life was far from over, she decided she could believe him. Somehow, even through her burning stream of tears, Emerald couldn't help but smile because deep down she knew that everything he said was right.

Everything was going to be okay.


End file.
